English: Born in 1895 (-1994), Dame Whina Cooper is perhaps most well-known for her involvement in the 1975 Māori land march. On 13 October 1975, a hikoi of 5,000 marchers arrived at Parliament to protest the ongoing alienation of Māori land. Organised by Māori land rights group Te Rōpū O Te Matakite and led by the then 80 year old Dame Whina Cooper, the hikoi had departed from Te Hapua, Northland, and arrived in Wellington after marching 1,100 kms throughout the North Island.
The photographs of Dame Whina Cooper, copied from a larger contact card, were taken on 20 September, 1993, at an event celebrating the launch of Te Timatanga Tatau Tātāu. The book recounts early stories of the Māori Women’s Welfare League and profiles some of their founding members.
These images, and others, were transferred to Archives New Zealand from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. The photographs provide a record of the activities of the 1993 Suffrage Centennial Year Trust and some of the projects that they funded.
Title: Photographs Launch of Te Timatanga Tatau
Archives reference: ABKH 7366 W4437 Box 92/ NF589
www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=17048750
Read more about Dame Whina Cooper on Te Ara - teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5c32/cooper-whina
For more information use our “ask an archivist” link on our website: www.archives.govt.nz
Material from Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga