Maori renaissance

The term Māori Renaissance denotes the remarkable development of the Māori arts since the 1970s. Although the Māori Renaissance relates primarily to the arts and literature, it cannot be seen independently of its political and historical context.

With the economic crisis of the 1970s and the rise in oil prices around the world , New Zealand was forced to undergo radical restructuring of the workforce. The consequences of this restructuring severely weighed on the New Zealand working class . The Māori, who suffered most from the social consequences, used this grievance to point out their problems with great certainty. There were protest marches and land occupations.

The two main points of the Māori Renaissance were land and language. The Māori reclaimed land that was stolen from them in the course of colonization and demanded that Māori be recognized as the second official language of New Zealand, which was implemented in 1987 with the Māori Language Act .

Web links

• Māori renaissance . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand,accessed January 22, 2011.