Not One More Acre: Remembering the 1975 Land March

The Land March started in Te Hapua in far north on 14 September 1975 with 50 marchers and  grew to over 5,000 as it progressed across Aotearoa. It  arrived at Parliament on 13 October and presented a petition signed by 60,000 demanding an end to the alienation of Maori land.

The rallying cry “Not one more acre” was the call to action by the 79-year-old Dame Whina Cooper, urging the protection the remaining 2 million acres of Māori land from a total of 66 million originally held.

On 10 October, on the eve of the march’s final leg to Parliament, Dame Whina Cooper and the marchers arrived in Porirua and were welcomed at Takapūwāhia Marae by Ngāti Toa.

This marae has served as a vital place for te iwi Māori to gather, rest and prepare before delivering key national messages to Parliament, including the 1975 Land March, the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed hikoi and the 2024 Hikoi mo Te Tiriti / Toitū te Tiriti activations.

This exhibition acknowledges the manaakitanga of Ngāti Toa and reflects on this important moment of unity, resilience, and preparation before the final journey to Parliament.

Image Credit: Stones for hangi to feed land marchers. Dominion Post (Newspaper). Ref: EP/1975/4289/10A-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22349161