Story: Māori smoking, alcohol and drugs – tūpeka, waipiro me te tarukino

Fighting to stay dry

In 1954 King Country residents voted to allow liquor to be sold in the region. The vote among Māori was 70% in favour of prohibition. It was the greatly increased Pākehā population, by then outnumbering Māori, whose vote against prohibition carried the day. The pamphlet shown here was produced in 1943 by the New Zealand Alliance for the Abolition of the Liquor Traffic, a temperance group. It reports efforts to undermine the continuance of prohibition in the area and the determination of Māori leaders that it should be maintained.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: Eph-B-MAORI-1943-01

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Megan Cook, 'Māori smoking, alcohol and drugs – tūpeka, waipiro me te tarukino - Māori use of alcohol', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/39869/fighting-to-stay-dry (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Megan Cook, published 5 Sep 2013