Ko Wikātana Popata kua whakakanohi mīreirei i te tū totohe i Te Taitokerau, ā huri noa i te motu i ngā tau maha ki muri.
Ko tōna riri, ko tōna matakana ki te kāwanatanga kua kitea whānuitia i ngā whakanuitanga ki Waitangi.
Totōia atu ai te titiro a te ao pāpāho auraki ki a ia i tā rāua ko tōna tuakana whai kia ārai i te whakaekenga atu o te Pirimia, o John Key ki Te Tii Marae i te tau 2009.
Huri ana ngā tau, kua huri te aurere, te aro hāngai hoki o Wikātana ki te whakamana i tōna iwi, pau te kaha.
Ahakoa ko te kaitotohe te karangatanga a te huhua i te motu mō tēnei uri o Ngāpuhi, he kaiārahi kē ia ki te hunga e tino mōhio ana ki a ia.
E ai ki a Wikātana ki Te Ao, “Ehara i te kaiporotēhi, engari he kaitiaki. Ko taku mahi, he whakakaha i te tūāpapa o aku tamariki kia whai i te ao Māori, kia whakaaro ao Māori mai, kia tiaki mai i ngā kaumātua, ngā kuia, te taiao. Ehara i te porotēhi, he kaitiaki, he rangatira mō āpōpō.”
Ahakoa kaare e tino horahora ana tana reo i ngā pae ā motu i o ngā tau ki muri, ko te riri ki te karauna e kā tonu ana.
“E pirau tonu ana ngā awa o te kāinga, e tūkino tonu ana te kāwanatanga ki a tātau, nā reira kāore e kore, kei reira tonu tērā riri ki roto i au,” te kōrero a Popata.
I te tau 2009, i huri te aro o te tini ki a ia, nā tana tutetute i a John Key, engari hei tā Popata, ehara nā Key te hē.
"Ko te tino hoariri, ko tēnei mea te capitalism, ko Amerika, ko Ingarangi, ko Wiwi. Nā reira mehemea he hiahia nō tātou kia tino whai i te tino rangatiratanga, me tīmata tātau te whakaaro mana motuhake."
Nō te whakapuaretanga mai o tōna kura ā iwi, hei tā Popata, “Kua marino te tai, kua whati te mata o te tai, o ēnei momo mahi porotēhi, tutū puehu. Engari pea, anei mātau e para ana i tētahi huarahi anō, ko te whakatū papa kāinga, ko te whakakaha i tōku whānau, te kōrero Māori ki aku tamariki, he momo rangatiratanga ki roto i tērā.’
Ka ū tonu a Pōpata ki tōna mana motuhake, mā te poipoi i ngā rangatira o āpōpō.
