Koha - Raupatu, The Loss of Land

In 1840 Māori owned 66 million acres of land in Aotearoa. Just one century later, it plummeted to under three million acres, tearing tangata whenua from their tūrangawaewae. Reporter Tainui Stephens and Auckland University history Professor Keith Sorrenson chronicle this land loss, starting with the influx of Pākehā settlers under the Wakefield system and the military invasion of Waikato during the Land Wars. In part two they examine laws created to allow dubious land sales, the creation of the Native Land Court and how land loss created contemporary social and economic woes for Māori.

I will use whatever English I know to defend my people because these are the bills which have robbed them of their land.

– Māori politician Sydney Taiwhanga, quoted by reporter Tainui Stephens in part two

Key Cast & Crew

Brent Leslie

Director, Writer

Ernie Leonard

Producer

Tainui Stephens

Reporter

Margaret O'Shea

Editor

Keith Sorrenson

Subject

Michael Evans

Studio Director