The Māori renaissance is the revival in fortunes of the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

beginning in the 1970s. Until 1914, and possibly later, the perception of the Māori race, although dying out, was capable and worthy of saving, but only within a European system. From the 1970s, government policy changed to promoting a bicultural New Zealand society. This change has led to Maori being politically, culturally and artistically ascendant. Māori population was at a low point at the beginning of the twentieth century with less than 50,000, and the Pākehā population had grown to over 800,000. The total Māori population grew in the 20th century and alongside this was a rebuilding of a cultural, economic and political base. This was the foundation of the Māori renaissance in the 1960s and 70s where, “...by 1940, Māori land was being developed for Māori (with state assistance) rather than sold, Māori political influence was being felt, and a renaissance in Māoritanga was proudly asserted.” Proportional to the total New Zealand population, people claiming to be of Maori descent represented 8 percent in 1966 and about 14 percent in 1996. The roots of the renaissance lie in developments during the inter-war period and with the Māori Battalion (1940-1946), whose performance in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

(1939-1945) won them many

battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

and decorations, with more individual bravery decorations than any other New Zealand battalion. The renaissance happened across a number of spheres, including the revival of the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

(with milestones such as the founding of the first kōhanga reo in 1982 and the passing of the

Māori Language Act The Māori Language Act 1987 was a piece of legislation passed by the Parliament of New Zealand that gave official language status to the Māori language (), and gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as courts. It also establish ...

in 1987); the land-focused Māori protest movement (with the

Bastion Point Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced l ...

occupation in 1977–1978). The

Springbok tour The 1981 South African rugby tour (known in New Zealand as the Springbok Tour, and in South Africa as the Rebel Tour) polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across New Zealand. The controversy also extended to the United States, ...

in 1981 led to international connections with other

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

, and the

Te Maori ''Te Maori'' (sometimes ''Te Māori'' in modern sources) was a watershed exhibition of Māori art in 1984 (later continued to 1985, 1986 and 1987). It is notable as the first occasion on which Māori art had been exhibited by Māori, and also t ...

art exhibition (1984-1987) saw Māori exhibiting

Māori art Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

internationally for the first time. The culmination arguably came with the

Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements Claims and settlements under the Treaty of Waitangi have been a significant feature of New Zealand politics since the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and the Waitangi Tribunal that was established by that act to hear claims. Successive governments ...

starting in 1992, which have addressed the erosion of the Māori economic base. , there are a wide range of Māori-owned enterprises such as television and radio broadcasters, businesses and tourism ventures. Additionally, there is significant political representation, and an increasing number of Māori individuals are gaining international reputations for their achievements. Today, Māori people can be found in a wide array of pursuits and activities throughout New Zealand and the world.

People and groups

Started in 1951,

Māori Women's Welfare League The Māori Women’s Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora is a New Zealand welfare organisation focusing on Māori women and children. It held its first conference in Wellington in September 1951. The League's official aims ...

is organisation that has had the most enduring impact on the Māori renaissance. As perhaps the first national Māori organisation founded on western principals and consistently winning grants and accolades for its work in housing, health, and education, the League demonstrated that western organisational principles weren't anathema to kaupapa Māori—Māori goals and approaches. Women who had gained experience in the League went on to found the Kōhanga Reo movement and

Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa or Māori Weavers New Zealand is the New Zealand national Māori weavers’ collective, which aims to foster and preserve Māori traditional textiles. It has played an important role in facilitating the gathering ...

Political parties

Traditionally, Māori have largely voted for the

New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party ( mi, Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa), or simply Labour (), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers desc ...

in general elections. Several (often short-lived) political parties have sprung up with their main focus being on Māori rights and issues. The first of these to grab major public attention was Mana Motuhake, founded in 1979 by former Labour

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘ prime minister� ...

Matiu Rata Matiu Waitai Rata (26 March 1934 – 25 July 1997) was a Māori politician who was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Labour Party from 1963 to 1980, and a cabinet minister from 1972 to 1975. In 1979 he resigned from the Labour Pa ...

. It contested four general elections from 1981 to 1990, but failed to gain a seat. It became part of the

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

group of parties in 1991. Some members of the party who did not support joining the Alliance founded the

Mana Māori Movement The Mana Māori Movement was a New Zealand political party. It advocated on behalf of the Māori people. It was founded by Eva Rickard, a Māori activist. Rickard was originally a member of Mana Motuhake, another Māori party, but quit when Mana ...

, which contested elections between 1994 and 2002 but again failed to win a seat. Since the founding of

New Zealand First New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Win ...

, a populist party under the leadership of former National Party cabinet minister

Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician serving as the leader of New Zealand First since its foundation in 1993. Peters served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 1996 to 1998 and 2017 to 2020, ...

, in the early 1990s, Labour have faced a serious challenge for the Māori vote, both from New Zealand First and from Māori-specific parties. New Zealand First championed Māori issues, gaining a large proportion of the Māori vote and gained several seats, among them five Māori MPs known as "The

Tight Five The Tight Five was a nickname given to the five Māori MPs elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 1996 from the centrist/populist New Zealand First party. Formation New Zealand First had been founded in 1993 by Winston Peters, a former ...

". A split in the party in 1998 led to the founding of the multicultural

Mauri Pacific Mauri Pacific () was a short-lived political party in New Zealand. It was formed in 1998 by five former members of the New Zealand First party. It has often been described as a Māori party. Officially, Mauri Pacific was a multiculturalist par ...

Party, headed by Tau Henare. This splinter failed to gain public support, and disbanded in 2001. The year 2004 saw the founding of the

Māori Party Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, to date New Zealand's most successful Māori-specific party. Founded by former Labour MP Tariana Turia, the party gained four seats in the following year's general election. In the 2008 election, its seats increased to five, and the party also won seats in 2011 and 2014. In 2008, the party entered a loose alliance with the National Party, firstly as part of the opposition, and in 2011 and 2014 as a minor partner in government. Disaffection with National led to a slump in support in the Māori Party in 2017, and it won no seats. Disagreement over the Māori Party's role as a supporter of National also led to a split in the party in 2011, leading to the creation of the

Mana Party The Mana Movement, formerly known as the Mana Party, is a former political party in New Zealand. The party was led by Hone Harawira who formed it in April 2011 following his resignation from the Māori Party. Harawira won the by-election in T ...

by MP Hone Harawira. Harawira retained his seat as Mana's sole MP until 2014. In 2014 the party formed a brief alliance with Kim Dotcom's Internet Party, but this met with a mixed reception from Mana supporters, and the party won no seats. The parties went their separate ways after the election, with the Mana Party renamed as the Mana Movement. It failed to win a seat in the 2017 general election.

People

Academics

* Russell Bishop * Taiarahia Black * Mason Durie *

Aroha Harris Aroha G. Harris is a Māori (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) academic. As of 2020, Harris is an associate professor at the University of Auckland, specialising in Māori histories of policy and community development. She is also a member of the Waitangi T ...

Brendan Hokowhitu Brendan J. Hokowhitu is a New Zealand academic who is of Māori, Ngāti Pūkenga descent and as of 2019 is a full professor at the University of Waikato. Academic career After a 2001 PhD titled '' 'Te mana Māori : Te tātari i ngā kōrero pa ...

* Ngapare Hopa *

Ross Ihaka George Ross Ihaka (born 1954) is a New Zealand statistician who was an Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Auckland until his retirement in 2017. Alongside Robert Gentleman, he is one of the creators of the R programming l ...

Moana Jackson Moana Jackson (10 October 1945 – 31 March 2022) was a New Zealand lawyer specialising in constitutional law, the Treaty of Waitangi and international indigenous issues. Jackson was of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou descent. He was an a ...

* Robert Jahnke *

Carwyn Jones Carwyn Howell Jones (born 21 March 1967) is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009. Jones served as the Member of the S ...

Robert Joseph Robert G. Joseph (born 1949) is a senior scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy and professor at Missouri State University. He was the United States Special Envoy for Nuclear Nonproliferation, with ambassadorial rank.Amb. Robert Jos ...

Tīmoti Kāretu Sir Tīmoti Samuel Kāretu (born 29 April 1937) is a New Zealand academic of Māori language and performing arts. He served as the inaugural head of the Department of Māori at the University of Waikato, and rose to the rank of professor. He wa ...

* Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta * Rangi Mātāmua *

Hirini Melbourne Hirini (Sid) Melbourne (21 July 1949 – 6 January 2003) was a Māori composer, singer, university lecturer, poet and author who was notable for his contribution to the development of Māori music and the revival of Māori culture. He played trad ...

* Ocean Mercier * Te Wharehuia Milroy * Hirini Moko Mead *

Margaret Mutu Margaret Shirley Mutu is a Ngāti Kahu leader, author and academic from Karikari, New Zealand and works at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She is Māori and her iwi (tribes) are Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Whātua. Biography ...

* Tawhanga Nopera * Dominic O'Sullivan *

Rose Pere Rangimārie Te Turuki Arikirangi Rose Pere (25 July 1937 – 13 December 2020) was a New Zealand educationalist, spiritual leader, Māori language advocate, academic and conservationist. Of Māori descent, she affiliated with the iwi Ngāi T ...

* Leonie Pihama * Poia Rewi * Jacinda Ruru *

Graeme Smith Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for South Africa in all formats. In 2003, he was appointed captain of the national team, taking over from Shaun Pollock. He held t ...

* Linda Tuhiwai Smith * Monty Soutar * Te Taka Keegan *

Ngahuia Te Awekotuku Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (born 1949) is a New Zealand academic specialising in Māori cultural issues and a lesbian activist. In 1972, she was famously denied a visa to visit the United States on the basis of her sexuality. Biography Te Awekotuk ...

Pou Temara Sir William Te Rangiua "Pou" Temara (born 1948) is a New Zealand academic. He is professor of Māori language and tikanga Māori (practices) at Waikato University and a cultural authority on (oratory), ''whakapapa'' (genealogy) and ''karakia' ...

* Linda Waimarie Nikora * Whatarangi Winiata * Aroha Yates-Smith

Activists

* Kelvyn Alp * Donna Awatere Huata *

Whina Cooper Dame Whina Cooper (9 December 1895 – 26 March 1994) was a respected (Māori elder), who worked for many years for the rights of her people, and particularly to improve the lot of Māori women. She is remembered for leading the 1975 Māori l ...

Titewhai Harawira Titewhai Te Hoia Hinewhare Harawira (1932 – 25 January 2023) was a New Zealand Māori activist. Born in Whakapara and descended from Ngāpuhi chiefs, Harawira was an outspoken political commentator and a civil rights campaigner beginning wi ...

Tame Iti Tame may refer to: *Taming, the act of training wild animals *River Tame, Greater Manchester *River Tame, West Midlands and the Tame Valley *Tame, Arauca, a Colombian town and municipality * "Tame" (song), a song by the Pixies from their 1989 alb ...

* Syd Jackson *

Dun Mihaka Te Ringa Mangu Mihaka or Dun Mihaka is a Māori activist, author, and political candidate in New Zealand. Mihaka has been involved in a number of campaigns regarding Māori rights, and was involved in the Bastion Point land dispute. His 1979 att ...

Eva Rickard Tuaiwa Hautai "Eva" Rickard (née Kereopa; 19 April 1925 – 6 December 1997) rose to prominence as an activist for Māori land rights and for women’s rights within Māoridom. She was born in Raglan. Her methods included public civil disobe ...

Māori in entertainment and the arts

Whirimako Black Whirimako Black (born ) is a New Zealand Māori recording artist and actress. Black sings mostly in the Māori language, uses traditional Māori musical forms and collaborates with traditional taonga pūoro instruments. Her musical achievement ...

* Alan Duff * Wira Gardiner *

Ralph Hotere Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was awarded an honorary d ...

Witi Ihimaera Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler (; born 7 February 1944) is a New Zealand author. Raised in the small town of Waituhi, he decided to become a writer as a teenager after being convinced that Māori people were ignored or mischaracterised in litera ...

Moana Maniapoto Moana Maree Maniapoto (born 22 June 1961) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and documentary maker. Widely considered one of New Zealand's most successful indigenous acts, her music is described as a fusion of traditional Māori haka, chants ...

Marama Martin Marama Isabel Martin (née Koea; 3 April 1930 – 10 July 2017) was a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. She was the first person seen on colour television in New Zealand, and was the last person to appear on NZBC TV. Early life and ...

Anika Moa Anika Rose Moa (born 21 May 1980) is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut album '' Thinking Room'', was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and provided two T ...

Rawiri Paratene Peter David Broughton , generally known as Rawiri Paratene, is a New Zealand stage and screen actor, director and writer. He is known for his acting roles in ''Whale Rider'' (2002) and '' The Insatiable Moon'' (2010). Biography Paratene was bor ...

* Michael Parekowhai *

Rachael Rakena Rachael Rakena (born 1969 in Wellington) is a New Zealand artist. Education Rakena received a Diploma in Fine Arts at Otago Polytechnic in 1992 and in 1995 obtained a degree in Māori Studies. She completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts (D ...

Tiki Taane Tiki Taane (born 17 December 1976) is a New Zealand-based musician, experimentalist, musical activist, producer, and live engineer. He was a member of leading New Zealand band Salmonella Dub but left after eleven years on 1 January 2007 to pur ...

* Lee Tamahori *

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

* Hone Tuwhare *

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at ...

Ranginui Walker Ranginui Joseph Isaac Walker (1 March 1932 – 29 February 2016) was an influential New Zealand academic, author, and activist of Māori and Lebanese descent. "I think he was ''the'' Māori commentator for a very long period," his biographer, ...

Politicians

* Donna Awatere Huata *

Georgina Beyer Georgina Beyer (born November 1957) is a New Zealand politician and former Labour Party Member of Parliament. In 1995 she was elected mayor of Carterton, making her the world's first openly transgender mayor. In 2005 she became the world's ...

* Ben Couch *

Tuariki Delamere Tuariki John Edward Delamere (born 9 December 1951) is a former New Zealand politician. He served as a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1996 to 1999, and was a member of Cabinet for the duration of his term. Early life Delamere was b ...

Te Ururoa Flavell Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell (born 7 December 1955), also known as Hemi Flavell, is a New Zealand politician who was a co-leader of the Māori Party from 2013 until 2018 and represented the Waiariki electorate for the party in Parliamen ...

* Bruce Gregory *

Bill Gudgeon Wiremu Mulligan "Bill" Gudgeon is a former New Zealand politician. He is a member of the New Zealand First party. Early years Gudgeon is of Ngāti Porou descent and was raised on the East Coast and in the Waikato. He studied at the Universit ...

* Hone Harawira *

Joe Hawke Joseph Parata Hohepa Hawke (1940 – 22 May 2022) was a New Zealand politician and Māori land rights activist. He was a member of Parliament for the Labour Party from 1996 to 2002. Biography Early life and career Hawke was born in 1940 and ...

* Tau Henare *

Dave Hereora David Murray Hereora (9 August 1956 – 5 August 2014) was a New Zealand trade unionist and politician. He was a list MP for the Labour Party from 2002 to 2008. Early life Hereora was born in 1956. He was a worker at Affco Meatworks and became ...

Parekura Horomia Parekura Tureia Horomia (9 November 1950 – 29 April 2013) was a New Zealand Labour Party politician who served as Minister of Māori Affairs between 2000 and 2008. Early life Horomia was born in Tolaga Bay of Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga Hauiti, ...

* Willie Jackson * Shane Jones * Alamein Kopu * Sandra Lee-Vercoe *

Nanaia Mahuta Nanaia Cybele Mahuta (born 21 August 1970) is a New Zealand politician who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hauraki-Waikato and serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Sixth Labour Government since 2020. She is also the Minister ...

* Ron Mark *

Tuku Morgan Tukoroirangi "Tuku" Morgan (born 7 October 1957) is a New Zealand Māori politician and former broadcaster. Early life and family Born in Auckland on 7 October 1957, Morgan affiliates to the Tainui iwi confederation. He was educated at St Step ...

Mahara Okeroa Mahara Okeroa (born 1946) is a former New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Labour Party. He represented the Te Tai Tonga Māori electorate as a Member of Parliament from 1999 to 2008. Early life and career Okeroa was born in Waitara, T ...

Pita Paraone Rewiti Pomare Kingi "Pita" Paraone (30 November 1945 – 26 August 2019) was a New Zealand politician and chairman of the Waitangi National Trust Board. He was a member of the New Zealand First party. Early life and family Paraone was born o ...

* Hekia Parata * Edwin Perry * Ian Peters * Jim Peters *

* Jill Pettis *

* Mita Ririnui * Dover Samuels * Pita Sharples * John Tamihere *

Georgina Te Heuheu Dame Georgina Manunui te Heuheu (née Manunui, born 1943) is a New Zealand Māori politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) from the New Zealand National Party List, and a Cabinet Minister in the New Zealand Government. Early life Born G ...

* Eruera Tirikatene *

Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan Tini "Whetu" Marama Tirikatene-Sullivan (9 January 1932 – 20 July 2011) was a New Zealand politician. She was an MP from 1967 to 1996, representing the Labour Party, and was New Zealand’s first Māori woman cabinet minister. At the time o ...

Metiria Turei Metiria Leanne Agnes Stanton Turei (born 1970) is a New Zealand academic and a former New Zealand politician. She was a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2017 and the female co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 2009 to 2017 ...

* Tariana Turia * Rana Waitai * Koro Wētere *

Tu Wyllie Tutekawa "Tu" Wyllie (born 24 October 1954) is a former New Zealand politician and rugby union player. A first five-eighth, Wyllie represented Wellington at a provincial level, and played one match for the New Zealand national side, the All Blac ...

Other

* Willie Apiata VC, soldier * Kingi Ihaka, Māori Language Commissioner * Jerry Mateparae, Governor-General *

Paul Reeves Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, archbishop and Governor-General *

Annette Sykes Annette Te Imaima Sykes (born c.1961) is a Rotorua activist and lawyer who advocates for the rights of Māori tribes to be self-governing. She was ranked third on the joint Internet Mana list for the 2014 New Zealand general election. Biograph ...

, lawyer *

Te Atairangikaahu Dame Te Atairangikaahu (23 July 1931 – 15 August 2006) was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Her title Te Arikinui (meaning ''Paramount ...

, Māori Queen (1966–2006) *

Whakahuihui Vercoe Whakahuihui "Hui" Vercoe (4 June 1928 – 13 September 2007) was an Anglican bishop in New Zealand. He was the Archbishop of New Zealand from 2004 to 2006, the first person from the Māori church to hold that office. He was also Bishop of Ao ...

, archbishop * Monique Fiso, Chef

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maori Renaissance Māori art Counterculture Politics of New Zealand Māori education in New Zealand Political terminology in New Zealand