The 1975 Māori Land March marks 50 years

On 13 October 1975, marchers arrived at Parliament after walking 1,100 kilometres from Te Hāpua in the Far North, carrying a petition of 60,000 signatures demanding “Not One More Acre of Māori Land” be taken by the Crown. Beginning with just 50 members of Te Matakite o Aotearoa, the hīkoi grew to more than 5,000 people.

Now, He Māra Mahara Cultural Collections  at the University of Auckland is commemorating this significant event: the 1975 Māori Land March.

Opening on 13 October in the University’s General Library, the exhibition For the Record: Documenting the 1975 Māori Land March focuses on how this landmark protest was captured through film, photography and audio by those who were there to witness and document, rather than actively participate.

Bringing together iconic photography, documentary footage, rare audio and news coverage, the exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to see and hear the voices of some of those who took part. Documentary screenings and curator talks will run alongside the exhibition.

Documenting the hīkoi

Remembered as a turning point in Aotearoa history, this exhibition highlights the efforts of a handful of committed individuals who had only limited resources and bulky, analogue technology to document the hīkoi.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• Audio research interviews conducted in 1978 by University of Auckland affiliated Anthropology student Dieter Meyer with key figures, including Dame Whina Cooper, Joe Cooper and Saana Murray.
• Christian Heinegg’s evocative photography.
• Extracts from Geoff Steven’s landmark documentary Te Matakite o Aotearoa.

Exhibition curators Alitia Lynch and Ian Brailsford say the exhibition draws attention to people “behind the lens”, and the enduring value of this primary source material.

“The quality of what was captured was remarkable. Fifty years later, we want younger generations in particular to see how events like the Land March were documented and to reflect on the differences between then and now.”

A special screening of Steven’s 1975 documentary, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, will further illustrate the contrasts between past and present media.

From analogue to digital

The exhibition also draws connections to contemporary hīkoi. In November 2024, Auckland Law School lecturer Eru Kapa-Kingi retraced Dame Whina Cooper’s steps, leading a march against the Treaty Principles Bill. Unlike 1975, this hīkoi was amplified by global media and shared instantly across social media.

“In 1975, documentary makers carried heavy 16mm reels, each allowing just four minutes of recording. Every decision to film came with the risk of missing something later. Today, anyone can pull out a smartphone and stream events instantly. The contrast could not be more stark,” say Lynch and Brailsford.