Chronology for 1900-1937
On the fringes of mono-cultural welfare
Most Māori lived in rural enclaves of Aotearoa New Zealand and practiced customary ways of living and caring for whānau. However, assimilationist policies and a capitalist economic framework were beginning to impact, especially with the migration of adults in search of paid work. By 1920, Māori land holdings had decreased to 8% of total New Zealand lands and the population had increased from 56,987 in 1921 to 82,326 in 1936.[i] go to footnote Factors contributing to this significant population growth, which continued beyond the 1920s, were ‘falls in infant and child mortality, especially but not exclusively from the end of the 19th century to 1976’, ‘reductions in mortality at older ages’, and ‘the high relative fertility of Māori women’.[ii] go to footnote While Māori women and children were at the forefront of the recovery of te ao Māori, they were also targets of state messaging about their ‘proper’ family roles and places in New Zealand society.
Western concepts of child welfare were introduced legislatively in the early 20th century (whāngai restrictions to whenua) and enforced increasingly throughout the century as Māori children began to enter the child juvenile system. Access to pensions and benefits are either denied or paid at a lower rate than for Pākehā.
Iwi Māori continued to fight for hapū autonomy and control over their own welfare. Wāhine Māori, such as Whina Cooper and Te Puea Hērangi, were among Māori leaders pushing for tikanga-based solutions for the welbeing of their people and Māori nationwide.[iii] go to footnote
Chronology events
Displaying 1 - 10 of 40 events.
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Māori Councils Act
Under the Māori Councils Act, Māori settlements were empowered to elect a marae committee (Komiti Marae) – the individual members of which were awarded statutory powers to control the liquor trade, regulate traffic and impose sanitation measures. Komiti Ma…
Date: 1900 Period: 1900-1937 -
Prohibition
Once women have the right to vote, from 1893, elections are commonly accompanied by referenda on alcohol prohibition. Although Māori were not allowed to vote in National Licensing Referenda until 1949, prohibition was something that Māori felt very strongl…
Date: 1900 Period: 1900-1937 -
Public Health Act 1900
The first Māori Doctor, Maui Pomare, was recruited to the new Department of Public Health ‘Māori Health’ section as ‘Health Commissioner for the Natives’ in 1901. Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck) engaged as Pomare’s assistant in 1905.[i]
Date: 1900 Period: 1900-1937 -
Residential care for young offenders
Residential care was regarded as the best option for young offenders and for young people considered to be out of control. Alternative forms of care, such as foster care with non-family members, were reserved for the least difficult children committed to t…
Date: 1900 Period: 1900-1937 -
The Māori Lands Administration Act
The Māori Lands Administration Act granted Māori some local autonomy and some legal power over their land. However, special conditions restricted these gains.[i]
Date: 1900 Period: 1900-1937 -
Native Land Claims and Adjustment and Amendment Act
This Act made it necessary to formally ‘register whangai placements in the Native Land Court to qualify the child to succeed to lands of their whangai parents’.[i] The Act also legalised the adoption of children outside of the kin-based network.
Date: 1901 Period: 1900-1937 -
Old Age Pension policy for Māori
Old-age Pensions Office became an independent department.[i] In 1904 the decision by New Plymouth magistrate Thomas Hutchinson to pay a reduced rate of pension, £12 rather than £18, to a Māori pensioner set a precedent for an unofficial policy that lasted …
Date: 1904 Period: 1900-1937 -
Tohunga Suppression Act
Prohibited traditional Māori healing practices.[i]
Date: 1907 Period: 1900-1937 -
Native Land Act
This Act prohibited customary whāngai practices. Instead, formal adoptions needed to be legally registered through the Native Land Court.[i]
Date: 1909 Period: 1900-1937 -
Pensions Act
This Act consolidated statutes relating to old age, widows, and military pensions. The Act did not apply to Māori who were receiving money appropriated for Native purposes under the Civil List Act 1908. Application required an applicant’s age to be corrobo…
Date: 1913 Period: 1900-1937
Footnotes
- [i] go to main content https://perma.cc/QK5N-XKSK
- [ii] go to main content Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney, Aroha Harris, Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2014, p. 491.
- [iii] go to main content Hērangi, Te Kirihaehae Te Puea – Dictionary of New Zealand Biography – Te Ara; Cooper, Whina – Dictionary of New Zealand Biography – Te Ara.