Matanuku Mahuika is interviewed by The Gisborne Herald on becoming the first Ngāti Porou lawyer appointed King’s Counsel. He shares how, for him, the significance of his appointment lies in young Māori lawyers seeing themselves in places they may not have before.
For Matanuku Mahuika, the significance of his appointment as a King’s Counsel lies not in the title but in young Māori lawyers seeing themselves in places they may not have before. He is the first Ngāti Porou lawyer to earn the distinction, which recognises those in the profession who have demonstrated excellence, superior skill in oral and written persuasive argument, integrity, honesty and leadership throughout their career.
Mahuika was appointed alongside 11 others by Attorney-General Chris Bishop on 16 October 2026. Mahuika acts on corporate, commercial, Treaty of Waitangi, Māori land, trust and administrative law issues. He graduated from Victoria University of Wellington and was admitted to the bar in 1991.
Mahuika joined Bankside Chambers in 2024, with his wife Tiana Epati KC. Prior to that he worked with Kāhui Legal, a specialist law firm working at the forefront of Māori development, for 21 years. He has written and presented extensively on Māori legal issues and is a past president of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa.
“I think I’m still having it sink in. There’ve only been a small number of Māori people appointed as [a] King’s Counsel,” he said.
Mahuika said he didn’t attach much personal significance to his status as a King’s Counsel, but it was important for young Māori lawyers to see what they could achieve. “If you’re to embed Māori values in society, then you need to see Māori faces in different spaces.”
Asked what advice he’d give young Māori aspiring to enter the profession, he said his view reflected his upbringing. Mahuika was born in Te Puia Hot Springs and spent his first few years in Tikitiki. He said he considered himself “just a boy from the East Coast. First of all you have to aspire. You have to be ambitious. You have to try and be the best version of yourself that you can be because by doing that, then you can be the best version of yourself for the purposes of helping and benefiting your people. The second thing I would say, however, is that those that get to go to university, that get to enjoy the benefits and the privileges of becoming a lawyer, you just learn a set of skills that don’t make you any better than anybody else. But what they do is give you a unique ability to contribute to the wellbeing of people [in] your community.”
He said people should practise law with a mindset of service being “at the heart” of what they were doing.
His decision to enter the legal profession was half a joke because he “wasn’t a good enough football player to make a living”. Mahuika played for Victoria University of Wellington Football Club while studying and has been a midfielder for the Gisborne Bohemians club and, more recently, for Wainui.
In a social media post, Victoria University of Wellington AFC said he racked up at least 290 league club appearances and it could have been a lot more. Mahuika said he decided to be a lawyer because he liked the idea of a challenge. It gave him the opportunity to work with great people and deal with interesting issues.
“There’s nothing like getting up in court and arguing something and you think, ‘gosh, you know, if we win this argument, this could make a difference’.”
Patrick Tangaere, chairman of iwi governance entity Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou, congratulated Mahuika in a statement on behalf of the organisation on social media: “Matanuku has made a significant contribution to Ngāti Porou through his legal expertise in the iwi’s Treaty settlement and foreshore and seabed negotiations with the Crown. He has also served the iwi at governance level as a director of Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou and chair of the Ngāti Porou Holding Company,” Tangaere wrote. “His appointment is fitting recognition of a distinguished legal career, and a moment of pride for Ngāti Porou.”
Mahuika is the son of the late Dr Apirana Mahuika, a kaumātua and inaugural chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou, and Karin Mahuika.
This article has been adapted from The Gisborne Herald’s article, “On The Up: Matanuku Mahuika becomes first Ngāti Porou lawyer appointed King’s Counsel”, published 21 October 2026.
Further Reading
Four Bankside barristers appointed King’s Counsel
Five questions with new members and change makers Tiana Epati and Matanuku Mahuika
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