40 years since the Māori land march arrived at parliament

Traffic into Wellington came to a standstill as thousands of Māori and Pākehā streamed along the motorway into the capital on 13 October 1975, concluding the Māori land march to parliament.

The marchers, headed by Dame Whina Cooper, had walked the length of the North Island in just 30 days, to protest the loss of Māori land. They bore no banners or placards, simply a white flag on a carved pouwhenua (land marker post) that was not allowed to touch the ground until land grievances were settled.

To mark the 40th anniversary of their arrival in Wellington, four march veterans will share their memories and reflect on the kaupapa (purpose) of the march in a panel discussion, chaired by National Library Māori curator Paul Diamond. This free public event, titled 30 days to Wellington, will take place at the National Library on Tuesday 13 October at 3 pm.

An exhibition at the Turnbull Gallery (in the National Library building), ‘Not one more acre’: The Māori Land March 40 years on, also remembers the events of four decades ago. Christian Heinegg’s 300 colour images – exhibited for the first time – were the starting point for the exhibition.

Exhibition curator Paul Diamond says the photos give a different view of the march, which for many people was recorded in black and white.

“As well as the large-scale events like the crossing of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and walking along the Wellington motorway, the images record small details – schoolchildren watching the march, men in towelling sunhats and washing drying on marae fences.”

March veterans Cyril Chapman, Joseph Cooper, Vivian Hutchinson and David Williams will speak about their experiences at 30 days to Wellington.

“This event set the groundwork for so many things which followed as Māori reasserted their mana and political power in Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Diamond, who had some surprises when he was researching for the exhibition.

“The strong resistance from some Māori to the idea of the march was a revelation, as was the absence of any reference to the Treaty of Waitangi, even though the concerns about land loss were all to do with the Treaty.”

ENDS

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