Hundreds of students gathered in Whangārei to celebrate Māori Language Week and the legacy of Māori leader Dame Whina Cooper. Video / Sarah Curtis
Hundreds of Whangārei kura students marched through the Town Basin to honour revered Māori leader Dame Whina Cooper’s 1975 hīkoi to Parliament and to celebrate the 50th Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
Led by Te Kāpehu Whetū, the commemorative event yesterday gathered students from about sevenWhangārei kura with a Māori kaupapa.
Principal Raewyn Tīpene said the event idea only came about last week but quickly developed. She was overwhelmed by the level of participation.
The Town Basin was alive with flags and banners and included speeches, spirited waiata and a haka.
The day started with performances,with whānau turning out in force to support their children.
“It was really cool to have everyone come out and see their kids. It wasn’t Mātātini, it wasn’t top of the line, it was just all the kids showing what they could do. It was really good.”
Some of the hundreds of students, teachers, and whānau who gathered at Whangārei's Town Basin. Photo / Sarah Curtis
Tipene told the Northern Advocate “Learning te reo is a big thing at the moment.
“It’s encouraging our kids to stay focused and stay on the education path, so it all helps. If they’re there for te reo and they stay for everything else, that’s good.”
Tipene was also excited to share that Te Kāpehu Whetū, a charter school, was expanding its reach, planning to open a senior school in Auckland next year.
She said the new campus is near Auckland University and AUT, offering boarding facilities and a focus on academic, sporting, and IT excellence.
“So that’s an extension for us – part of continuing to grow the kaupapa - ‘Be Māori, be educated, be rangatira’,” Tipene said.
“It’s about showing excellence and success to our kids so they can see it first-hand.
“Most of our kids will be looking to go elsewhere [from Whangārei] and we want to try and prepare those roads for them,” Tipene said.
Students from about seven of Whangārei's Māori language schools joined forces to celebrate Māori Language Week and the legacy of Māori leader Dame Whina Cooper. Photo / Sarah Curtis
Born from grassroots activism, like that championed by the late Dame Whina, Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori began as a single Māori Language Day in 1972.
By 1974, the idea had grown into a full week, and by 1975, it had firmly taken root. Fifty years on, its growth and achievements continue to be celebrated nationwide.
Cooper championed Māori rights throughout her life. In 1975, at the age of 79, she led the historic Māori Land March (hīkoi) from Te Hāpua in the Far North to Parliament in Wellington – a journey of more than 1000km.
The march was organised by Te Rōpū Matakite o Aotearoa, a group formed to protest the ongoing loss of Māori land.
Cooper and a small group of marchers set off on September 14, and as they passed through towns and cities, thousands joined in support.
By the time they reached Parliament on October 13, about 5000 people were part of the hīkoi.
They presented a petition signed by 60,000 people to Prime Minister Bill Rowling, demanding protection of remaining Māori land and an end to further alienation.
Cooper’s leadership and determination earned her the title Te Whaea o te Motu – Mother of the Nation – and the hīkoi remains a defining moment in New Zealand’s history.
It set a precedent for peaceful protest, inspiring future actions such as the Bastion Point occupation.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent reporting on the courts in Gisborne and the East Coast.
