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 71 - 80 of 270 events.
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New housing, employment, and social security policies
Under the first Labour government, these new policies[i] turned needs into rights and then allied these needs and rights with those of the middle classes drawing on a philosophy of the vulnerability of every individual in the face of wider forces.[ii] Fami…
Date: 1935 Period: 1900-1937 -
Maori engagement in economy
Māori land holdings: 4,992,013 acres, and 8.3% of Māori women engaged in paid employment.
Date: 1936 Period: 1900-1937 -
Ngāti Poneke Young Māori Club formed
YMC formed via Lady Pomare’s Welfare Committee.[i]
Date: 1936 Period: 1900-1937 -
Social Security Act
Various forms of governmental assistance that supported family life began: sickness and unemployment benefits, subsidised medical care, state housing schemes, mortgage relief, and later a universal family benefit.[i] The Act brought heath and income mainte…
Date: 1938 Period: 1938-1971 -
First national conference of Young Māori Leaders
There were sessions on economic conditions, housing, health, education, and Māori in the community.
Date: 1939 Period: 1938-1971 -
Outbreak of World War 2
The 28th Māori Battalion is formed and more than 17,000 men enlist.[i]
Date: 1939 Period: 1938-1971 -
Child Welfare Branch concerns re Maori youth
The Child Welfare Branch’s annual reports from the early 1940s noted a growing ‘problem’ among Māori youth. Māori increasingly appeared in children’s courts. Māori youths outnumbered Pākehā coming before the Northland courts by 2.5:1 in 1940-41, although M…
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971 -
Māori Purposes Act
Marriages in accordance with Māori custom, and certain earlier adoption orders, were deemed valid for specific land purposes.[i]
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971 -
Review of the Child Welfare Division
New Zealand Council of Educational Research review of the Child Welfare Division found that, amongst the approximately 2,500 children in church-run care institutions in 1940, none were Māori.[i]
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971 -
Universal superannuation begins
Universal superannuation introduced by the second Labour Government.[i]
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971
Footnotes
- [i] go to main content The New Zealand Official Year Book 1945
- [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.