Story: Citizenship

Discrimination against Māori citizens

Discrimination against Māori citizens

Although Māori became British subjects on the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, and therefore subsequently New Zealand citizens, they did not always enjoy the rights and privileges to which they were entitled. The table shows the smaller relief payments made to Māori compared to Pākehā under a government scheme during the depression of the 1930s. The justification was that Māori could provide for themselves from their subsistence land holdings.

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Source: Claudia Orange, ‘A kind of equality: labour and the Māori people 1935–1949.’ MA thesis, University of Auckland, 1977, p. 63

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How to cite this page:

David Green, 'Citizenship - 1840–1948: British subjects', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/diagram/919/discrimination-against-maori-citizens (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by David Green, published 8 Feb 2005