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Story: Māori overseas

Australia proposes a ban on Māori

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Australia proposes a ban on Māori

This article was published in the Dominion newspaper on 30 April 1948. It quotes the Australian minister of immigration claiming that Māori should be excluded from settling in Australia, as they were Polynesian. His comments caused a minor diplomatic storm, and he later apologised.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: EA 1, 32/39/4/1 Pt 3

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Māori overseas – Emigration to Australia, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/1317/australia-proposes-a-ban-on-maori (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009.