October 13, 2022
Ngātiwai sets scene for Land March anniversary
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the Māori Land March is an inflection point in New Zealand history when Māori spoke up over the loss of their land.
It was on this day that the march from Te Hāpua in the far north arrived in Wellington 5000-strong.
Mr Peters says it was triggered by the decision of the Whangārei County Council and the government to take much of Ngātiwai’s remaining coastal land for scenery protection.
A group of Ngātiwai people including fellow lawyer Ben Paki started work on a legal challenge and looked for wider support.
“At a meeting at Pataua for this group, Whina Cooper was there and she said ‘I know what I’ll do, I’ll have a land march on parliament. It started that night at Pataua and she was there as part of the Ngātiwai Land Retention Committee protest,” Mr Peters says.