The many sides of social media influencer Paaka Davis. Montage / Paul Slater.
Māori social media personality Paaka Davis turned down a $50,000 offer to promote online gambling stating his mana is more important than money.
With almost 500,000 followers on social media, Davis told the Herald his principles are worth more than cash.
“There have been a lot of opportunities that I turned down,” Davis said.
“I was offered $50k for a series of stories for a new gambling group. But I had to say no to them, I’m not interested.
“It’s hard and you have to be really versatile but stay true to yourself and be true to who you are.
“Everyone has their own values and things are tough and I have no animosity to people who make different decisions.”
Davis said his views on gambling were personal and he knows of influencers who have made a lot of money promoting online gambling.
“It is not for me to tell them what to do. Everyone has their own values and things are tough and I have no animosity to people who make different decisions.”
Earlier this year, the Herald revealed Millie Elder-Holmes was amongst online influencers monitored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their links to online gambling providers.
She was later fined $5000 for promoting offshore casinos.
Davis, 40, is a Māori content creator who creates videos focused on Te Ao Māori (the Māori world), including pronunciation guides for Māori place names and discussions on decolonisation.
He also fosters a sense of community through his content, encouraging viewers to learn, grow, and connect with Te Ao Māori.
He has around 500,000 followers across his social media, primarily TikTok, where he was named the 2023 Best Live Creator at the Australia New Zealand TikTok awards.
“After two years of pushing social media and live streaming, I was nominated by TikTok as Live Content Creator of the Year. I didn’t think I was going to win, but I was so excited for the experience and I was completely shocked when my name was called out.
I would love to create media that highlights local communities, history of Aotearoa
“My goal is to continue creating content and branch out into mainstream media. I would love to create media that highlights local communities, history of Aotearoa, while supporting the ongoing reclamation of Te Reo Māori.”
Davis (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Te Whānau a Kai, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa), said his whānau keeps him grounded.
He is married to Alex (Ngāti Pākeha) and father of Tanemairanginui, 13, Taika Te Koha, 7 and daughter Ngā Kurakura o Hinenuitepōe, 5.
He is the oldest of four, and was raised by his mum.
“We were quite transient, I attended 12 schools including kura kaupapa,” Davis said.
“This transience created a troubled mindset later in life where I struggled with addictions, crime and instability.”
He has now been self-employed for more than two years.
Social media gave him the “freedom to be creative, build community and contribute to Te Ao Māori”, he said.
“I have worn many hats but the main one I wore were in hospitality, where I have worked in every single role you can think of, particularly bartending, and also music.”
“Music was my passion for many years and I was blessed to be involved with many projects.”
That included the highly-acclaimed Batucada Sound Machine.
“Over the course of four years we released two albums and an EP and toured extensively throughout Europe and Oceania.”
Davis said both his parents had large families.
As a youngster he spent a lot of time with his mother’s side of the whānau.
“The most important thing about what we all enjoy about what I do is my availability for them where I am able to be very flexible in the hours I work,” he said.
“All of their friends are very familiar with what I do, and I think the kids enjoy this aspect of ‘my friends know who my dad is’.”
Davis’ videos have started to generate possible future revenue streams.
That included corporates approaching him to carry out workshops and one-on-one tutoring, as well as producing customised video for other groups.
“So it’s picked up a lot of business in that area.”
Social media is a fast-growing industry
He said social media was the fastest growing currency globally.
He, like so many others, is hoping to be part of the trend.
“For those of us who have been chipping away at it for a while, I think it’s going to start to pay off and as long as we hold to our values, I think it will work out for everybody.”
Davis is currently in Turkey for a second round of oral treatment. It is becoming a destination of choice for many New Zealanders looking for oral or medical procedures.
While it is far cheaper than surgery in New Zealand, not all Kiwis have had the same experiences as fellow influencer Nix or Davis.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s SafeTravel website says New Zealanders heading to Turkey and other countries for medical procedures “should understand the risks”, research the practioneer’s background and indemnity and malpractice insurance if something goes wrong, and get a “specialised insurance policy”.
Davis had the first round - two root canals, two jaw bone grafts, as well as four crowns - in February after he discovered the procedures would cost $40,000 in New Zealand.
He saw an advert on Instagram for the Vera Clinic in Istanbul, Turkey - which specialises in hair grafts but also has a dentistry centre.
“All up for the dental - that includes your hotel and transfers from airport to the clinic and back, costs about $14K plus $2k airfares.
“This was a way better option for me.”
“I chose Vera in the end, because of all the reviews I read, and seeing their certifications and awards. Seeing Nix had gone also helped.
“The $40K was a pipe dream, with raising a family and trying to save for a house.”
Joseph Los’e is an award winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.