As minister of Māori affairs Matiu Rata helped set up the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975. He later left the Labour Party to form Mana Motuhake, the first modern Māori politcal party.
Matiu Rata
Personal details
Full Name:
Matiu Rata
Lifetime:
1934 – 1997
Biography
Articles
Waitangi Day
Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. For most people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is a time for reflecting on the Treaty and its place in modern New Zealand. Read the full article
Page 5 - Waitangi Day 1970s
Waitangi Day, a public holiday from 1974, briefly became New Zealand Day in the 1970s. Increasingly, it became a focus for Māori protest
Parliament's people
Today there are usually between 120 and 123 MPs in New Zealand's Parliament, which is a far cry from the 37 who met for the first time in Auckland in 1854. Read the full article
Page 3 - Māori MPs
Leaders of Māori society have represented their people in the House, including Māui Pōmare, James Carroll, Matiu Rata and, most famously, Apirana
Main image: Matiu Rata
Matiu Rata, circa 1970s, location unknown. Taken by an unidentified photographer for the Evening Post.