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Story: Ngā rōpū tautohetohe – Māori protest movements

Māori language petition

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Māori language petition

The Māori language petition was delivered to Parliament in 1972 and asked for active recognition of te reo Māori. It had more than 30,000 signatures and was the starting point for a significant revitalisation of te reo.

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Auckland Star

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Ngā rōpū tautohetohe – Māori protest movements – Cultural rights, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/35951/maori-language-petition (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 12 June 2012, updated 11 January 2023.