The Rātana movement rises
Te Hāhi Rātana
- When
- 1920–1935
- Where
- Rātana Pā · Rātana
- Reach
- Several regions
Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana built a faith and then a political machine around one demand: ratify the Treaty of Waitangi.
Rātana began as a faith healer in the aftermath of the influenza pandemic and drew tens of thousands to his settlement near Whanganui. He took a petition of 30,000 signatures to London in 1924 seeking Treaty ratification, and was refused an audience. He then turned to Parliament, targeting the four Māori seats. By 1943 Rātana candidates held all four, in an alliance with Labour that shaped Māori politics for the next fifty years.
Regions affected
Sources
Written for this project from these references rather than copied from them. Follow a link to check the account against the original.
Related
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