Professor 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 10 years and held a lectureship at Auckland Teachers College for five years.

In 1967, Dr Walker took up a temporary lectureship in the Anthropology Department at Auckland University, where completed his PhD in 1970. He then took up a permanent post in the Centre for Continuing Education at Auckland, serving there for 15 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 from 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 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 head of department in Māori Studies. Besides his numerous papers and chapters in books, Dr Walker has published six 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), He Tipua: The Life and Times of Sir Apirana Ngata (2001), Opotiki Mai Tawhiti (2007), and Paki Harrison: Tohunnga Whakairo. The story of a master carver (2008). Dr Walker was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2001 New Years honours list, and in 2007 he was awarded the Te Tohu o te Maramatanga research excellence award, Nga Pae o te Maramatanga (CORE) University of Auckland.  In 209 Professor Walker was awarded a Prime Minister's Literary Award.

Dr Walker was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2003.

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