Skip to main content
News —
Red poster with large, bold white text reading ‘Mana Māori Motuhake’. A centred colour film photo shows people walking down a gravel road, led by a man carrying a white flag. Black text underneath reads ‘Māori rights and representation’.
Photo by Christian Heinegg. Participants in Māori Land March leaving Te Hapua, 14 September 1975. ATL-Ref: 35mm-87491-16-F

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of three important milestones relating to mana Māori motuhake, the expression of Māori identity and self-determination. The most dramatic was the arrival at Parliament on 13 October 1975 of a 5000-strong hīkoi (march) bearing a petition signed by 60,000 supporters. The Land March, as it was popularly known, was organised by Te Rōpū Matakite o Aotearoa (‘Those with Foresight’), a group formed earlier in the year to protest the historic and continuing loss of Māori land. The original 50 marchers, led by the redoubtable 79-year-old Whina Cooper, had begun their 1000-km journey at Te Hāpua in the Far North on 14 September, attracting numerous followers and national media attention along the way. 

As the hīkoi travelled down the North Island, Parliament was debating a piece of legislation that would ultimately be one of the most consequential in modern New Zealand history. The Waitangi Tribunal Act 1975, which became law on 10 October, established a standing commission of inquiry whose role was to confirm ‘the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi’, make recommendations on ‘claims relating to the practical application of the Treaty’ and to ‘determine whether certain matters are inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty.’ Initially, the Waitangi Tribunal could only investigate contemporary breaches, but in 1985 its jurisdiction was expanded to cover historical claims dating from 1840.

Another key milestone in 1975 was the introduction of a Māori Electoral Option, to be held after each five-yearly Census, which allowed Māori to choose between enrolling to vote in general or Māori electorates. The Electoral Amendment Act 1975 also changed the definition of Māori from one based on outmoded concepts – ‘blood’, ‘half-castes’ and ‘pure descent’ – to one based on ancestry and the principle of cultural self-identification. In addition, it provided for the number of Māori seats, fixed at four since their establishment in 1867, to rise or fall depending on the outcome of the option – but this part of the legislation was quickly reversed by the new government after the November 1975 election. It would be 1996 before the number of Māori seats increased, following the introduction of the new Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) voting system.  

He maha ngā huarahi e whai wāhi ai koe ki te whakanui i ēnei ekenga tau.
There are a variety of ways to get involved in commemorating these anniversaries.

Ako | Learn 

Mātakitaki | Watch

Toro atu | Visit 

  • He Kura Toi Tangata is a photographic exhibition commemorating the Waitangi Tribunal’s 50th anniversary. Featuring 50 images and newly displayed taonga, this exhibition traces key moments and landmark cases in the Tribunal’s history, showcasing its influence on Aotearoa New Zealand.

    He Kura Toi Tangata: 50 Years of the Waitangi Tribunal, 1975–2025 (Wellington Museum)

    24 May – 12 October

  • Not One More Acre: Remembering the 1975 Land March - a photographic exhibition that commemorates the 1975 Māori Land March when it reached Porirua and was welcomed at Takapūwāhia Marae by Ngāti Toa, before the final journey to Parliament.

    Remembering the 1975 Land March (Pataka) 

    16 August – 19 October

  • Ngā Tapuwae o te Hīkoi: Photographs by John Miller and Christian Heinegg of the 1975 Māori Land March. This exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Māori Land March, featuring protest photography by John Miller and Christian Heinegg. Miller’s images document the marchers in Wellington, while Heinegg’s slideshow captures their journey across the motu.

    Ngā Tapuwae o te Hīkoi (National Library)

    13 September – 31 December

  • Te Matakite o Aotearoa. This exhibition includes screenings of Geoff Steven’s 1975 documentary Te Matakite o Aotearoa: The Māori Land March, photographs and the original 1975 Māori Land March flag—known as the Pou Whenua.

    Te Matakite o Aotearoa (Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi)

    13 September – 19 October

  • Te Rōpū o te Matakite, the Land March Exhibition. The exhibition features photographs taken by the Manawatū Standard, including many that were never published, as ‘Te Roopu o te Matakite’ travelled through the Manawatū region and approached Wellington.

    Te Rōpū o te Matakite, the Land March Exhibition (Palmerston North City Library)

    6–16 October 

  • For the record: documenting the 1975 Māori Land March. This exhibition explores how the Land March was preserved through analogue technology. It celebrates the dedication of a handful of individuals, with limited means, who documented this milestone event.

    For the record: documenting the 1975 Māori Land March (Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland)

    13 October 2025 – 25 February 2026