| Birth Date: | 1934 |
| Birth Place: | Hokio, Horowhenua |
| Nationality: | Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Pareraukawa |
| Citizenship: | New Zealander |
| Occupation: | academic |
| Awards: | Lifetime Achievement Award, National Māori Language Awards 2018Te Whare Pūkenga Award, National Iwi Chairs Forum 2022 |
| Alma Mater: | Victoria University of Wellington & University of Michigan |
| Notable Works: | Founding Te Wānanga o Raukawa |
Whatarangi Winiata is a New Zealand accountant, academic, and Māori leader. From 1994 to 2007, he was Chief Executive of Te Wānanga o Raukawa, a Māori tertiary education institution. He had been Professor of Accountancy at the Victoria University of Wellington from 1974. He is a former President of the Māori Party, serving from the party's creation in 2004 to 2009.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Hokio in Manawatū is the place Winiata was born in 1935, he is affiliated with the Māori iwi Ngāti Raukawa.[6] [7] He was the second Māori to graduate with a degree of Bachelor of Commerce from Victoria University of Wellington in 1957.
Winiata has an MBA and PhD from the University of Michigan. He lived also in Canada working at the University of British Columbia. In about 1975 he and his family returned to New Zealand.
His work establishing and revitalising Maori language for Ngāti Raukawa that saw there were no te reo Māori speakers under the age of 30 in 1975 within the tribe. Dr. Winiata is recognised as the architect of the 25-year Whakatupuranga Rua Mano (Generation 2000) iwi development programme that birthed Te Wānanga o Raukawa based in Ōtaki. Ōtaki is a bilingual town, with 'Māori spoken in 50% of its homes'.[8] [9]
Hirini Moko Mead said of Winiata he is "a leading thinker of the Māori world, and of te ao Pākehā as well."[10]Winiata was founding President of the Māori Party to support co-leaders Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples.[11]
2018 - Lifetime Achievement Award, National Māori Language Awards
2022 - Te Whare Pūkenga Award, National Iwi Chairs Forum for being a 'living taonga'[12]
Winiata married Francie Aratema in 1961 and they had four children.