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Download AudioFor more than half a century, Australia has been home to one of the largest Māori populations outside Aotearoa – a community now estimated to number over 170,000. While migration has delivered opportunities, it has also carried challenges of identity, rights, and belonging.
Post-war beginnings
Māori migration to Australia grew significantly after World War II, alongside a broader Māori movement from rural areas into cities. The promise of steady work, higher wages, and new opportunities across the Tasman drew thousands to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne. By the 1960s and 70s, many Māori whānau saw Australia as a chance to escape poverty and secure a better future for their children.
The lure of jobs
The 1970s and 80s saw a sharp rise in migration as economic conditions in Aotearoa worsened. Large numbers of Māori men found work in construction, mining, and manufacturing, while women entered nursing, hospitality, and service industries. Towns like Logan in Queensland, and western Sydney suburbs such as Mt Druitt, became hubs for Māori communities.
Building communities across the Tasman
Despite being far from home, Māori took their culture with them. Kapa haka groups, rugby and league clubs, and church congregations helped maintain connections to whakapapa and tikanga. Marae-like community centres emerged in places like Brisbane and Sydney, providing cultural anchors.
Many whānau also faced challenges – disconnection from iwi, difficulties accessing services, and, in some cases, discrimination. Without the protections of the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori in Australia were often treated as just another group of migrants.
The Trans-Tasman relationship
Māori migration has also been shaped by changing government policies. The 1973 Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement allowed New Zealanders to live and work freely in Australia. But from 2001, changes to visa rules meant many Māori whānau lost access to welfare, tertiary education support, and pathways to citizenship. These restrictions hit Māori harder, given higher levels of low-paid work and poverty.
Advocates have since fought for equal rights, arguing that Māori contribute significantly to Australian society but face barriers not experienced by earlier generations.
Today’s picture
Māori in Australia now make up nearly 20 percent of the total Māori population. Many are second- or third-generation Australians, balancing their identity as both Māori and Aussie. Efforts to maintain reo Māori and cultural ties remain strong, with kura reo, kapa haka festivals, and iwi networks across the Tasman.
For some whānau, Australia is now home. For others, the pull of Aotearoa remains strong, with many maintaining dual ties or returning later in life.
What is clear is that Māori migration to Australia has reshaped the Māori world. It has created one of the largest diasporas in Oceania – one that continues to influence politics, economics, and identity on both sides of the Tasman.
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