50 Years On, The Long March Arrives To Waitangi

Waitangi is proud to be marking the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Māori Land March with an exhibition called, Te Matakite o Aotearoa. Central to the exhibition is the full-length 1975 documentary Te Matakite o Aotearoa: The Māori Land March, directed by Geoff Steven, a powerful visual record of a pivotal moment in Aotearoa’s history.

Accompanying the film are large prints on canvas of Dame Whina Cooper and the land march, along with the Background to the Making of Te Matakite o Aotearoa: The Māori Land March, Steven’s own reflection on his process, the challenges and the vision behind documenting this journey. Visitors can then view the original 1975 Māori Land March flag—known as the Pou Whenua—in the Ko Waitangi Tēnei exhibition. Screenings of the documentary film will be held daily at 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm.

Director Geoff Steven offers insight into the time and style behind his work: “The mid-1970s were exciting and changing times. We had recovered from the culturally turbulent 60s and we baby boomers were flexing our own muscles both culturally and politically…I was a young filmmaker … interested in the so-called ‘direct cinema’ or cinema vérité style of documentary making … where practitioners documented what happened in front of their camera … letting the story unfold in front of the lens ‘as it happened’ … The finished film is the story of a group of people, who with dedication, determination and dignity took their message to the country”.

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Owen Taituha, Curatorial Manager at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, says it is an honour for Waitangi to host Te Matakite o Aotearoa. “As a place where history, treaty, land and identity converge, Waitangi offers the perfect setting to remember the 1975 Māori Land March…an event that changed the national conversation about Māori land rights and Te Tiriti”.

In 2025, Te Matakite o Aotearoa becomes more than a document of its time—it is a living bridge between past and present. The film’s observational style invites audiences today to step into the shoes of those who walked, spoke and marched. It’s a reminder of the spiritual, physical and political dimensions of the Land March: the hardships, the marae pōwhiri, the petition, the oratory and above all, the convictions that drove thousands to mobilise for the whenua.

As we commemorate this quinquagenary, the exhibition at The Gallery, Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi offers a powerful space for reflection and will be on display until 19 October 2025.

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