He wants to “overthrow” the Kingitanga, he “boycotts” Waitangi Day, and he seems to think a mythical race of Celtics arrived in New Zealand before Polynesians. He is also a self-appointed kaumātua. His name is David Rankin and he is here with a quote which, I think, is a representative sample of his, er, work:
“I am sick of academics trying to sanitise our behaviour,” he says. “We are a violent people”.
“We come from a warrior race, but colonisation has meant that we no longer have any battles to fight and we have too much time on our hands so that violent energy is not used up”.
“The Government has been throwing millions of dollars into these problems but the situation is only getting worse”.
We can leave aside the substance – mostly because there is none – but we should ask why the man was ever quoted in the first place. The answer, most likely, is that he’s a convenient excuse – just as, in the USA, black politicians have been when they’ve opposed affirmative action. Or when high profile women have opposed feminism.
For the media he represents “balance”, a kind of lazy sound bite. On one level, that may seem to be harmless enough. What harm is there in parading someone with opposing views?
Possibly not much. But, when those opposing views, however nonsensical, are embraced and applauded by anti-Māori campaigners, they are transformed from pieces of journalistic balance to racist justification.
Criticisms of Māori by Māori are often used to legitimize Pākehā critiques that we would otherwise call racist. So they are welcomed by the rednecks. That’s why the community magazine, e-local, interviews David Rankin and invites him to support the publication’s absurd anti-Maori theories. And it’s why John Ansell refers to him as an “achiever” Māori.
Thus, at its simplest, David Rankin offers political cover for rednecks. Their thinking is that “we can’t be racist because that prominent, achiever Māori thinks just like us too”.
That’s the primary reason why the media should stop quoting him. It would be different if he was an authority on any of these issues. But he’s not. He’s no more credible than the next joker on questions such as the value of Maori electorates.
Radio Waatea has caught on to that and doesn’t follow the mainstream media habit of referring to him as an elder, a kaumatua or a chief. Waatea opts for “Auckland plumber” instead. Kelvin Davis, the MP for Te Tai Tokerau, does too. That’s a much more realistic and healthy perspective.
It’s time the mainstream media stopped giving the man a status he’s never earned – and began ignoring him.
Thank you for reading E-Tangata. If you like our focus on Māori and Pasifika stories, interviews, and commentary, we need your help. Our content takes skill, long hours and hard work. But we're a small team and non-profit, so we need the support of our readers to keep going. If you support our kaupapa and want to see us continue, please consider contributing $5 or $10 a month.
There is enough evidence and
There is enough evidence and it is quite clear that Maori are indigenous to New Zealand. Maoris first arrived in New Zealand during the 13th century, more than 500 years before the British arrived
Therefore Maoris, who are of Polynesian descent, have lived in New Zealand since the 13th century, more than 500 years before British settlement. They are of Polynesian descent, have lived in New Zealand since the 13th century, more than 500 years before British settlement.
Therefore they Are indigenous to where they left 800 or so years ago .!
I wonder Why they had to leave on mass?
How can they be “indigenous” ? When they arrived here same as everyone else ??!?
Makes sense he a plumber with
Makes sense he a plumber with the crap,he talks
Why does the Maori version of
Why does the Maori version of the treaty refer to tangata Maori and not tanagta Whenua. Keep in mind the Maori version was read and discussed over 5 hours before signing so they knew what it said. back in 1840 Maori elders knew there were a people here before Maori, the first here, the tangata Whenua. That is why whenua was not mentioned in the treaty, back then everyone knew. What do you say?
In my eyes David Rankin has
In my eyes David Rankin has been colonised and brain washed trying to discredit our claim to Aotearoa without even considering the whakapapa of Maui and without even researching the journeys that the great navigator, Ngatorirangi explored.
But what I would truely like to express is the signing of the declaration of independence agreement in 1835 and te tiriti o waitangi in 1840 which are the only two legal documents that actually exist in this land, all the laws acts and sections are all fraudulent.
The fact that in order for an agreement to be legally recognised it has to have a specific significant feature that binds the agreement to make it a legal document (a signature) and to my understanding the rangatira only signed te tiriti o waitangi.
The Crown and New Zealand’s government assume sovereignty through a deceiving miss translated illegally unsigned document called the treaty of Waitangi.
Basically the government has been operating illegally without sovereignty over maori people since 1840 and they have now acknowledged that with the release of the tribunal summary which is a true translation of what the chiefs understood that they were signing, and was just recently released by the Waitangi tribunal after four years of careful translation.
It states in the tribunal summary that we did not cede our sovereignty to Britain but we allowed the governor to have sovereignty over British subjects, in order to keep the peace and protect maori and their interests.
And that is the true duty of the police and army. Their job is to keep the peace between maori and the British subjects and any foreigners but they have no jurisdiction of tangata whenua. Basically there job is to serve and protect maori people and to arrest and serve justice to anyone else, our ways of life are our right, our freedom to be warriors was suppose to be preserved, meaning we were never meant to have our mana supressed
It states that the rangatira and the governor were to be equal, so that gives our chiefs supreme authority and the status that is equal to the king.
We agreed to share power with britain and the crown agreed to protect us from foreign threats and to return any pre treaty land agreements that had not been properly acquired which means the fact that no maori owns the land we are just the Kai tiaki(guardians or care takers) so no maori ever had the right to sell any land because it belongs to the future generations, so according to the tribunal summary all the land has to be returned.
It also said that the crown would represent us in international affairs where that was necessary and basically it’s up to us to decide weather it’s necessary, so when it comes to John Keys agreeing to the signing of the tppa without consulting our rangatira, that’s a direct breech of te tiriti o waitangi and he should be arrested and held accountable for that.
It also stated that where the maori people and the British subjects intermingled there was to be negotiations between the rangatira and the govenor on a case by case basis and there hasnt been any negotiations with the rangatira, just amongst the illegal government so all laws acts and sections passed since the signing of te tiriti o Waitangi by the illegal government are also a direct breech of te tiriti or waitangi so the entire non maori government needs to be arrested.
There is one more fact that I must express, the rangatira or the chiefs who signed the treaty did not have the right to sign te tiriti o waitangi on behalf of their people that’s upto the individual, they only had the right to sign it on behalf of themselves because any maori has the right to kill his chief in order to become the chief and this was a well known practice. Please publish my comment with my name- as the truth needs to be herd and the people need to be educated
Good article. The real
Good article. The real mischief is led by Elocal in pukekohe and papakura. Under the guise of “see! we’re not racist, we found a Mowry to back up our claptrap” . Only in Pukekohe the birthplace of anti maori and foreign sentiment could this magazine pass as a serious piece of writing. This plumber fellow should speak for himself.
Let me give a little
Let me give a little information and you wish to persure this any further I would be happy to cotribute more. The line of Whakapapa goes like this.
Tuhirangi- Peia-Heke 3 brothers in tat line of order’ David whakapapa from Tuhirangi and through the Rankin whanau like for example te whanau Muunu, te whanau Kawharu and others. My whanau comes from Peia and as you know Heke(Hone Heke) had no issue We the whanau of Peia have had and invite David Rankin to meetings at Oromahoe Marae to speak about our relationships he has not attended 1 meeting. So in that I (there are 2 other speakers from other whanau) have been given the right to speak on behalf of the Peia Whanau, David does not speak for the Te Matarahurahu Hapu he only speaks for himself and until I seem or hear of in some form that, that ihas changed I remain in this frame of mind. I have no problem with the battle of words that he tends to through out to people or to be critiside by anyone but I am from Te hapu o Te Matarahurahu and I or my whanau have not appointed him as a spokes person I have tryed to have my point add in the local news paper not in the letter to the editors column but the first or second page with no result.
Mauri Ora Na
Collin Rameka
I think he used to be a
I think he used to be a plumbing lecturer (unless I’m mixing him up with someone else) so I guess he can legitimately comment on hot water tanks and drains!
I think he was a sewerage
I think he was a sewerage plumber
So very true. The mans an
So very true. The mans an idiot.