In this 1972 news footage, a petition asking for te reo Māori (the Māori language) to be taught in schools is presented to Parliament in Wellington. More than 30,000 signatures had been collected.
David Broughton, later known as Rawiri Paratene, (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa), was co-ordinator of the Māori Students Federation, and is shown discussing the importance of the language.
At the end of the clip you can see Hana Te Hemara Jackson (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa) of activist group Ngā Tamatoa presenting the petition to MPs. Among others shown are kaumātua Hēmi Pōtatau (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rākaipaaka), and Lee Smith (Ngāti Kahungunu).
The MPs who are standing on the steps of parliament to receive the petition include Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu), Matiu Rata (Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Whātua), and Duncan MacIntyre who was then Minister of Māori Affairs.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou