Treaty of Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Events from the 1960s
1962 NZ Māori Council Formed
The New Zealand Māori Council emerged in 1962 from a system of district tribal committees and gained increasing authority. Although it provided a voice at a national level, it would come to be seen by many Māori as being too closely aligned with government.
- New Zealand Māori Council (29′03″)
-
The Secretary of the New Zealand Māori Council explains how the council was formed in 1962 — how the members were elected, the rationale behind the formation and the functions of the council.
(Sound Archives MPT 709)
- Māori and New Zealand Politics(18′41″)
-
When it was released in 1961, the Hunn Report commissioned by the Labour Government and released by the National Government was described as an important document, bringing together a great deal of information from widely scattered sources, including some which was not readily available elsewhere. Although it was, strictly speaking, a review of the Māori Affairs Department, the report (named after the department head JK Hunn) made more far-reaching recommendations on social reforms affecting Māori. One consequence was that Māori were encouraged to move from rural areas into towns and cities. Bruce Biggs from the University College of Auckland gives his assessment of the Hunn report.
(Sound Archives MPT 1766)
- 125th Anniversary of the Signing of The Treaty of Waitangi 1 (1′18″)
- 125th Anniversary of the Signing of The Treaty of Waitangi 2 (10′22″)
-
Two excerpts from the one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, recorded at Waitangi in 1965. An unidentified reporter outlines the programme for the ceremony, which included a challenge and haka powhiri to the Vice Regal party given by the pupils of St. Stephens and Queen Victoria schools, a Royal Salute, followed by a twenty-one gun salute. The second excerpt is the speech given by Sir Turi Carroll, the President of the New Zealand Māori Council.
(Sound Archives DAT 342, MPT 679)
- 1988 Te Puna Wai Kōrero Series (19′03″)
-
Sir Graham Latimer, Chairman of the New Zealand Māori Council speaks about the Treaty of Waitangi, and the reasons why the New Zealand Māori Council has taken out a full page advertisement in the "New Zealand Herald" newspaper.
(Sound Archives DAT 990 MPT 3620)
1967 Protest Over Māori Affairs Amendment Act
A 1967 Amendment to the 1953 Māori Affairs Act introduced compulsory conversion of ‘Māori freehold’ land with four or fewer owners into ‘general land,’ and increased the powers of the Māori Trustee to compulsorily acquire and sell ‘uneconomic interests’ in Māori land. The Amendment Act intensified growing Māori concerns that the law would result in further alienation of what land remained in Māori ownership. There were also protests by organisations such as the New Zealand Māori Council and the Māori Graduates Association, street demonstrations, and angry meetings throughout the country.
- Treaty of Waitangi (30′03″)
-
Made by the Overseas Programme Exchange Service, this programme presents scholarly views of the Treaty of Waitangi. These interviews were prompted by statements made in 1968 by Mr W.B. Kawiti, chief of Ngati Hine and a direct descendant of Kawiti - the first to sign the Treaty document - that the haste with which the Māori Affairs Amendment Bill had been enacted made a mockery of the Treaty. He pleaded with his tribe and all Māori people to boycott the celebrations.
In response, interviews were recorded with the following speakers:
Reverend Kingi Ihaka, Māori Missioner, Auckland
Dr. Doug Sinclair - Medical Practitioner, Hamilton and President of University Māori Graduates Association
Graham Butterworth, Historian, expert on Māori politics and editor of the Kaunihera Māori magazine
An unidentified young Māori lawyer based in Wellington
Koro Kapunga Dewes - lecturer in Māori language in the Anthropology Department at Victoria University of Wellington
Bill Parker, Lecturer in Māori Studies in the University Extension Studies Department at Victoria University of Wellington.The programme is narrated by Selwyn Muru.
(Sound Archives MPT 187)
- We Are One People (5′23″)
-
An excerpt from a feature produced in 1969 by the Overseas Programme Exchange Service to mark Waitangi Day. Includes the voices of John Harre, Nau Paraone (Brownie) Puriri, and Graham Butterworth. The programme is narrated by Alan Jarvis and was written and produced by John Reid.
(Sound Archives TX3136)
- Māori Affairs Amendment Bill (33′50″)
-
Paraone (Brownie) Puriri, Pei Te Hurinui Jones, Eddie Durie and John Booth discuss the 1967 Māori Affairs Amendment Bill. Brownie Puriri talks about the definition of a Māori in the Māori Affairs Act 1953 and how this affects Māori land interests.
Issues discussed by the panel include changing land legal status from Māori land to European land, establishing trust funds for tribal purposes, death duty provisions, and what are perceived as unsatisfactory aspects of the Bill.
(Sound Archives MPT 10/2726)
- Treaty of Waitangi seminar – 1972 (61′02″)
-
Henare Kohere Ngata is a guest speaker at a seminar at Victoria University, Wellington. The seminar topic is "The Treaty and Land", with particular reference to current legislation.
Henare Ngata gives an overview of the history of Māori land management, looking at how land was alienated, and the impact of legislation such as the Māori Trustees Act, the Public Works Act and the 1967 Māori Affairs Act. He also outlines how this relates to the Treaty of Waitangi.
(Sound Archives MPT 1697/1698)
- Treaty of Waitangi (40′45″)
-
An address given by Henare Kohere Ngata of Gisborne at the 1971 Māori graduates conference in the Waiwhetu Meeting House in Lower Hutt. Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan is another speaker.
(Sound Archives MPT 160/161)
Related Links
Audio
Some of the audio on this page is supplied by Sound Archives Nga Taonga Korero.
NB: All audio on this page is for personal use only. No audio may be posted to a web site, distributed to a third party or broadcast via any means including (but not limited to) radio, television and the internet without the express permission of Radio New Zealand and/or Sound Archives Nga Taonga Korero.