The producer of the upcoming biopic of Dame Whina Cooper says history isn’t just all in the dim past, and younger people should learn about recent history that has shaped their lives.

Today is the anniversary of the arrival of the steps of Parliament of the 1975 Māori Land March, which was led by the then 80-year-old Te Rarawa kuia.

Tainui Stephens says that came after a lifetime of leadership both in tribal and urban settings, but many rangatahi are unaware of the woman who became known in later life as the whaea of the nation.

“Younger people, even those in kura kaupapa, many of them know about Pania Newton and if they know anything abut Whina it’s the the famous photograph, but I think we need to pay much more attention to our recent history, the things that happens in the post World War II era that have an impact on us,” he says.

Mr Stephens says it’s a privilege to work on the film, which covers not just Whina Cooper’s public leadership but her family story.