MÄori protest movement#1975 Land March
The Māori land march of 1975 was a 29 days continuous protest march Māori for their land rights and against further expropriations, land acquisition and sale of Māori land. The march went from the northern tip of New Zealand down to Wellington and ended on the steps of the parliament building with the handover of the Memorial of Right and a petition to the government and the New Zealand Parliament, supported by 60,000 signatories.
Background
1953 forced the government of Prime Minister Sidney Holland ( National Party ) with the Maori Affairs Act, to be able to perform so-called unproductive Māori country of use. Everyone who wanted to could now display economically unused land the Māori land Court and apply to be able to lend the country a trustee employed.
In 1967 the Maori Affairs Act amendment another drastic measure for the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand considered as all the land which they had not sold to Pākehā, of course, as their country. But the law before saw that free Māori land, which was owned by four or fewer people, should be reclassified as public land. It promoted the power and influence of Māori trustees, acquire compulsorily Māori land and could sell so-called uneconomic land. That was expropriation and land acquisition. The law was passed by the government of Prime Minister Keith Holyoake ( National Party ) and drew violent protests and demonstrations in the street after himself.
With increase in the protests continued under the Māori also awareness through that the since 1962 existing New Zealand Māori Council and founded in 1951, Māori Women's Welfare League, than their previous advocacy groups were not strong enough to enforce according to their rights and their political demands. New groups emerged in 1968 Te Hokioi and the Māori organization On Human Rights ( MOOHR ), both in Wellington and with strong contacts with the trade unions and in 1970 the Nga Tamatoa in Auckland.
In February 1975, eventually formed another group, the Te Roopu Ote Matakite ( German: People with farsightedness ) is called. The main objective of this group, the majority of which was composed of young radical people had to fight for their land rights and to oppose the progressive dispossession. After 135 years of British colonization, the Maori possessed of the 66 million acres of land in New Zealand in 1975 just another 2.5 million acres, 1.5 million acres of land loss alone in the previous ten years. The fear that landless in their own country was to become great among Māori and therefore many felt that the time was ripe for action.
The march
In early March 1975, a hui (gathering ) at Te Puea Marae in Mangere, south of Auckland City was convened to present the 82 -year-old Whina Cooper. Whina Cooper had earned in the many years of social and political engagement among Māori lot of recognition and respect, and was one of the few women in the community of Māori, who was recognized as a leader. At this meeting in March, the proposal of John Rangihau was arrested, a non-violent Hikoi (marching ) to organize Parliament to Wellington and Whina Cooper because of their mana o kaumatua: to entrust its leadership ( German charisma, spiritual power and authority of elders ). At another meeting in Te Tira Hou Marae in Panmure in April 1975 Whina Cooper has been confirmed as a management and symbolic figure for the long march. The following four months of planning and fundraising served. In August, all preparations had been made and ensured support and accommodation at the various marae.
The march began on Sunday, September 14, 1975 in Te Hapua, in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. Before them lay a march of over 1000 km. Whina Cooper had to demonstrate unity and to strengthen the moral, composed a special song Matakine specifically for this march, Na Te Kore I Mohio ( German: Not understood ), which translates the verse ended "Let us unite people of all four winds, strengthens our yearnings, she connects with love, with the power of God's blessing, for the benefit of mankind. "
The march led, accompanied by two trucks and a bus, in 29 days from Te Hapua from over Te Kao, Pamapuria, Mangamuka, Otiria, Whangarei, Kaiwaka, Wellsford, Orewa, Northcote (district of Auckland ), Auckland, Ngaruawahia, Kihikihi, Otorohanga, Te Kuti, Tauramunui, Raurimu, Raetihi, Wanganui, Ratana, Bulls, Palmerston North, Shannon, Otaki, Porirua to Wellington. At each of these stops the local Iwi organized (stock ), accommodation, meals, the public and the collection of signatures for the petition. With each day of the march, the attention grew in public.
On September 23, thousands crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It was the first time since the bridge opened in 1959, it was allowed people on foot to cross over the bridge over the Waitemata Harbour. Marching reported that they could feel the swing bridge and were as the first marchers on the bridge, the end of the protest march was not in sight.
But the highlight of the protest was without doubt the protest under the Slogen "Not One More Acre of Māori land" ( German: No further Acre Māori Land) by Wellington and the collection of more than 5,000 people in the park in front of the Parliament building. Robert Muldoon of the National Party nor opposition leader, promised to be the first protesters to do all the ownership rights of Maori to their land to secure. Late in the afternoon came the Prime Minister Bill Rowling of the Labour Party to the documents given role with the Memorial of Right, including the 60,000 signatures of Māori and Pakeha, to take over from Whina Cooper. He also promised the rights of Māori to secure and stressed the importance of this march.
After the end of the march, a group of participants split off, occupied the steps of Parliament and set up a camp with tents on the grounds of the Parliament building. With the tent embassy ( Tent Embassy ), as the camp was called, the more radical forces of the movement wanted to exert more pressure and force the government and the parliament instant concessions. Whina Cooper distanced himself from this group. When, after the parliamentary elections in November, the National Party took control of the government, the camp of the demonstrators was a month later, on Christmas Eve cleared by the police and arrested 35.
A few months later was adopted by the City Council of the City Dannevirke to built on 24 acres of Māori land a landfill.
Policy objectives
Although the group Te Roopu Ote Matakite saw their self- understanding is to work for the social needs of Māori, made no difference in the objectives of workers and Māori and want to help the " blind " to see the future as it Whina Cooper once put, the political objectives of the march were clearly struggling geared for their land rights, expropriation and deprivation of rights to curb and to make wrong things right. They wanted to regain control over their land and their rights are accepted and the importance that the country had for them, will be understood and respected.
The Māori land march of 1975 as the beginning of Māori land rights movement ( land rights movement ) considered that lasted until 1984.