Dr Ranginui Walker, PhD

Whakatohea

Dr Ranginui Walker, of the Whakatohea tribe of Opotiki was educated at St Peter’s Māori College, Auckland Teacher’s College, and the University of Auckland. He taught in the primary school service for ten years and held a lectureship at Auckland Teachers College for five years.

In 1967 he took up a temporary lectureship in the Anthropology Department at Auckland University where completed his Ph.D. in 1970. Dr Walker then took up a permanent post in the Centre for Continuing Education at Auckland where he served for fifteen years at the interface of community relations between Māori and Pakeha. During this time he published numerous papers on Māori education and organised several Māori leadership conferences on urbanisation, gangs, Māori land, Māori fisheries, Māori educational development and Māori representation in Parliament.

Dr Walker was secretary of the Auckland district Māori Council 1969 to 1973 and chairman from 1974 to 1990. During this same period he was a member of the New Zealand Māori Council. He was also a foundation member of the World Council of Indigenous People in 1974 and was a New Zealand delegate to the WCIP until 1990.

In 1986 Dr Walker was appointed Associate Professor of Māori studies in the Anthropology Department at Auckland University. In 1993 he was appointed Professor and HoD Māori Studies. Besides his numerous papers and chapters in books, Dr Walker has published four books. Nga Tau Tohetohe The Years of Anger 1987, Ka Whawahi tonu Matou Struggle Without End 1990, Nga Pepa a Ranginui The Walker Papers 1997 and He Tipua The Life and Times of Sir Apirana Ngata, 2001. Dr Walker was awarded the DCNZM in the New Years honours list 2001.

Dr Ranginui Walker was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2003.