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 21 - 30 of 40 events.
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The Prevention of Crime (Borstal Institutions Establishment) Act
Offenders aged 15-21 could be detained in borstals for one to five years for ‘reform’, which included occupational training.[i]
Date: 1924 Period: 1900-1937 -
Child Welfare Act
The Child Welfare Act 1925 expunged the term ‘industrial school’ from the Education Department vocabulary.[i] The legislation caught up with, rather than set, a new welfare policy for children.[ii] It created a separate system of juvenile justice through c…
Date: 1925 Period: 1900-1937 -
Child Welfare Branch set up
Based in the Department of Education, it had responsibility for the welfare of all children (whether in institutional care or in the care of family). The Superintendent of Child Welfare was responsible to both the Minister of Education and the Minister in …
Date: 1926 Period: 1900-1937 -
Māori and the Child Welfare Court
In the late 1930s Māori tamariki/rangatahi increasingly appeared in children’s courts and from 1926-1948 Māori made up 30-40% of all cases of children magistrates placed under supervision each year.[i]
Date: 1926 Period: 1900-1937 -
Pensions Act
First attempt to systematise New Zealand’s pension system. A tight rein placed on Māori eligibility by local magistrate’s assessments. The Commissioner became responsible for agreeing to all renewals of Māori pensions, and adopted the practice of lowering …
Date: 1926 Period: 1900-1937 -
Sim Commission
The Sim Commission inquired into the more than three million acres of Māori land confiscated throughout Taranaki, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty under the 1863 New Zealand Settlements Act. Its subsequent report contained no discussion of justifications for …
Date: 1926 Period: 1900-1937 -
The Child Welfare Amendment Act
Raised the age limit for children’s courts from 16 to 17 which caused a sudden increase in case numbers.[i] It also provided for the state registration and inspection of orphanages.[ii]
Date: 1927 Period: 1900-1937 -
Public Works Act
The 1928 Act continued most of the principles and policies developed in previous years, including many of the inheritances of the 1882 Act regarding Māori land. However, land could be taken under the Public Works Act 1928 for State housing purposes, provid…
Date: 1928 Period: 1900-1937 -
First Māori Women’s Institute formed
The first Maori Women's Institute, Te Awapuni, was formed at Kohupātiki in Hawkes Bay.
Date: 1929 Period: 1900-1937 -
Native Land Amendment and Native and Claims Adjustment Acts 1929
Māori Land development schemes begin. They provide a lifeline to whānau Māori.
Date: 1929 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.