How do you address a loss of homelands for people who have literally moved on? As part of the Herald’s Whenua project, Kaupapa Māori editor Joseph Los’e explains the issue for New Zealand’s unofficial largest iwi, urban Māori.
Most Māori feel ‘left out’ in the conversation over tribal lands because they live in large cities and have lost connections to their iwi, urban Māori advocates say.
About 80% per cent of New Zealand’s Māori population of 904,100 lives in urban areas. A large majority are disconnected from their culture and their whenua through generational and cultural assimilation.
The growth of urban Māori in the colonial era has been dramatic. In 1840, Aotearoa had an estimated population of 82,500 - 80,000 Māori and 2050 non-Māori - mostly living in small settlements.
In the 20th century, between 1926 and 1986, most Māori migrated to the big cities in search of employment opportunities, education, healthcare, better infrastructure and a desire for a modern life. Urbanisation allowed Māori to encounter new ideas, experiences, and cultural diversity.
Long-time urban Māori advocate and chief executive of Whānau Waipareira - New Zealand’s largest urban Māori organisation - John Tamihere said Māori took to urbanisation quickly, along with the trimmings of tobacco and alcohol. The immediate effects were loss of culture and loss of connection to their homelands.
“Urban Māori came about when Māori became the fastest indigenous race to be urbanised and there were a lot of drivers behind that,” Tamihere told the Herald.
“But when you take a people who are deeply embedded in their cultural norms and put them into a totally new environment, there are unintended consequences.”
Ray Hall, chairman of Waipareira, said urban Māori wanted to maintain a physical and spiritual connection to land, which is how Waipareira and Hoani Waititi Marae came to be.
“Urban Māori play a significant role in shaping the cultural, social, and political landscape in Aotearoa, which enriches the broader Māori population.
“In some cases, urban Māori often feel left out of conversations around settlements and resource allocation. Settlement discussions have traditionally focused on tribal iwi, leaving urban Māori, who may not have a direct tribal affiliation, feeling marginalised.
“However, efforts have been made to include and represent urban Māori in these discussions, and organisations [such as] Te Whanau o Waipareira and Numa (National Urban Māori Authority) advocate for their rights and interests.
“More work is needed to ensure equitable inclusion of urban Māori in these conversations.”
Hoani Waititi Marae was the country’s first urban marae and even has the Endeavour carved into its tukutuku panels to show an exclusiveness for all ethnicities.
Hall said a big win for urban Māori occurred in 1996 when they were recognised as an Iwi.
“The Waitangi Tribunal (414) claim gave validation and visibility to urban Māori and the right to be classified as an iwi. This allowed us to have our own representative body and be recognised as a distinct cultural and social entity within the wider Māori community,” Hall said.
“Waipareira is an urban Māori service provider based in West Auckland. Our kaupapa (principles) are aimed at improving the well-being, social and economic outcomes of urban Māori. We offer a range of services, such as healthcare, social support, education and employment training, tailored to the specific needs of urban Māori.”
The Wai414 Waitangi Tribunal Report 1998 did not explicitly state urban Māori as an iwi citizen but the case brought recognition to Whānau Waipareira and urban Māori within the iwi framework.
“It also affirmed entitlements under Article 3 of the Treaty without needing to assert iwi status or Article 2 rights.
“This had a significant impact by validating and acknowledging Waipareira and urban Māori, establishing their rights and ability to exercise rangatiratanga like an iwi group, Hall said.
Waipareira is also the backbone of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, which supports Māori in the North Island, through a range of health and welfare services.
Hall said the land was just as important to urban Māori as it was to iwi.
“Urban marae, such as Hoani Waititi, play a significant role. While some urban Māori maintain strong connections to their ancestral lands and marae, others may feel a sense of disconnection due to geographical and cultural distance from their traditional territories.
“Many Māori will be disconnected from their whenua and marae. Perhaps they haven’t returned since they were very young, or perhaps they’ve never been to or know where their ancestral marae and whenua are.
“Historical factors like colonisation, land confiscation, urbanisation, assimilation policies and community displacement have disconnected many Māori from their whenua (land) and marae. These events have profoundly impacted individuals’ identities, sense of being, and connection to their cultural heritage.
“The disconnection from ancestral lands and marae can lead to feelings of loss, cultural dislocation, and a weakened sense of identity. It may also impact one’s ability to participate in cultural practices and traditions, hindering the transmission of intergenerational knowledge and language.”
Hall said his grandparents experienced land loss, like many Māori.
“Land losses, ownership changes, protests and protection efforts vary based on perspectives and contexts. Historical confiscations, sales and alienations of Māori land led to disputes, protests and legal battles for rights. These processes have lasting effects on perceptions of land and ownership within Māori communities.
“Māori families pass down stories of land loss, emphasising the impact of confiscations, forced sales, and alienation on their communities. Elders share the significance of the land, feelings of loss and disempowerment and the ongoing struggle to regain control and connection to their ancestral lands.
“One instrument used during the colonisation of New Zealand was to encourage Māori to take up European ways of being and leave behind their traditional practices, from their traditional kai to the activities they partook in.
“These impacts persist, and efforts to revitalise and reclaim cultural practices continue today.”
Tamihere agrees.
“The urbanisation of Māori ripped entire whānau units to pieces,” he said.
“Add to that intergenerational impoverishment and that has devastating effects, regardless of race.
“Māori were sent to nursing and trade training, blue-collar jobs.
“So urban Māori suffered loss of assets, which was a clear Government policy. The Hunn Report of 1960 demonstrated that the best proud Māori were to be white-te-fied.
“We at Waipareira and urban Māori organisations are reclaiming our rights.”
Joseph Los’e is an award-winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for Whānau Waipareira.
Whenua is a New Zealand Herald data-led project, supported by the Public Interest Journalism Fund, in association with Māori land legal expert Adrienne Paul (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tuhoe) from the University of Canterbury law school.
'[We are] just as staunch and ferocious in saying we hold sovereignty over our own.'