Damian George.
Ta¯reha Te Moananui did not waste time getting into his work. It was 1868 when the principal chief of the Nga¯ti Kahungunu iwi used his maiden parliamentary speech, the first by a Ma¯ori MP, to boldly outline a gripe he had with the system.
Through an interpreter, Moananui took the opportunity to protest the Pa¯keha-controlled Native Land Court, established in 1865, which made it easier for Pa¯keha to buy Ma¯ori land.
‘‘This is a grievance to me, the Ma¯ori, but to some it is an advantage, because they become possessed of the lands of others.
‘‘I therefore ask you, the Assembly, to look into this matter, because I am not pleased with it.’’
Moananui’s journey to the orator’s podium in Parliament started in 1867, when four Ma¯ori seats were established in the House of Representatives.
The seats were initially established for five years under the Ma¯ori Representation Act, and gave all Ma¯ori men aged over 21 the right to vote.
Until then, most could effectively not do so, as the elitist system required voters to own land individually, and many Ma¯ori possessed communal land.
Moananui contested the Eastern Ma¯ori seat and won the two-horse race in a show of hands on April 15, 1868, paving the way for him to enter Parliament.
Alongside him were Frederick Nene Russell (Northern Ma¯ori), Mete Kı¯ngi Te Rangi Paetahi (Western Ma¯ori), and John Patterson, also known as Ho¯ne Paratene Tamanui a Rangi (Southern Ma¯ori).
While Moananui was generally positive towards the Crown and how it had treated Ma¯ori, he took umbrage with the Native Lands Act 1862, which allowed Pa¯keha to rule on land ownership. Historian Judith Binney would later describe the act as an ‘‘act of war’’.
Paetahi was less combative in his address, simply thanking the Crown for giving Ma¯ori an official voice.
‘‘I give thanks to the Queen, and to the Governor, and to the Ministers, and to all the chiefs of the Assembly [the MPs], for it having occurred to their minds to summon Ma¯oris to Parliament.’’
Days later, Patterson, speaking in English, said: ‘‘It is my desire that I shall have a voice in matters introduced into this House, for the appearance of us who are called Ma¯oris sitting here is this, we hear merely the words that are spoken, but we don’t know the meaning; we are like a post standing, having neither voice nor ears.’’
All four men served only one term in Parliament, ending in 1870, but their pioneering foray into politics would be the start of Ma¯ori representation in government.
In reality, the events of 1867 were a modest beginning.
On a per capita basis, Ma¯ori deserved 14 to 16 MPs, as opposed to the four they were granted, while Europeans had 72.
The arrangement was expected to be