Mata toa

About this book

"This book is part biography and part social and political commentary on the huge changes in the position of Maori in New Zealand society in recent decades. Academic, author, biographer, historian, commentator, controversialist, activist, iwi consultant, mover and shaker - Dr Ranginui Walker has been in the headlines for decades, ever since the beginnings of the Maori political and cultural renaissance in the 1970s. Walker is one of the few Maori leaders to take on the responsibility of crossing the cultural/racial divide and making the Maori world intelligible to Pakeha readers. Articulate and forthright, he has had a major influence on how Pakeha view Maori in the twenty-first century. It is a task he has deliberately accepted, and it has often made him a controversial figure (although only on the Pakeha side - to most Maori he remains highly respected, and he remains heavily involved in many Maori organisations)" --Publisher's description.