Te Kotahitanga Explained

Māori Parliament Movement
Native Name:Te Kotahitanga
Native Name Lang:mi
Coa Pic:Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand.svg
Coa Caption:Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand
Succeeded By:Māori councils
House Type:Bicameral
Houses:Te Whare Ariki (Upper House)
Te Whare o Raro (Lower House)
Leader1 Type:Chairman
Leader1:Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury (1892)
Hone Taare Tikao (1893)
Te Keepa Te Rangi-pūawhe (1896)
Leader2 Type:Speaker
Leader2:Henare Tomoana(1892-1894)
Mohi Te Atahikoia
(1895)
Leader3 Type:Premier
Leader3:Hamiora Mangakahia (1892, 1897, 1898)
Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury (1893, 1894)
Members:140 (1892)
44 (Whare Ariki)
96 (Whare o Raro)
Structure1 Res:250px
Meeting Place:Waipatu (1892, 1893), Pākirikiri (1894), Rotorua (1895), Taupō (1896), Pāpāwai (1897, 1898), Rotorua (1900, 1901), Waiōmatatini (1902)

The Kotahitanga movement was an autonomous Māori parliament convened annually in New Zealand from 1892 until 1902. Though not recognised by the New Zealand Government, the Māori Parliament was an influential body while it lasted. By 1902 its role was largely superseded by the Māori councils established by James Carroll and Hone Heke Ngapua through the Māori Councils Act 1900. As a result, Kotahitanga members unanimously voted for its dissolution at the 10th Parliament at Waiōmatatini in 1902.

Te Kotahitanga was distinct from Te Kauhanganui, the Māori parliament established by the Kingitanga movement in the late 1880s, because it called for the union of all Māori tribes, whereas Te Kauhanganui was convened by and for the hapū of the Waikato-Tainui region. In 1895 the two movements considered merging, but this ultimately failed.

Sessions

Waipatu 1892

The first formal session of Te Kotahitanga was held in June 1892 at Waipatu in Heretaunga. It was hosted by the former Member of Parliament for the Eastern Maori electorate, Henare Tomoana. 96 representatives sat in the Whare o Raro and 44 chiefs sat in the Whare Ariki. Tomoana was elected Speaker of the House because his tenure in parliament gave him the experience necessary to guide debates and maintain order. Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury was elected chairman, the formal head of the Whare o Raro, and Hamiora Mangakahia was elected premier, a position that made him the chief spokesperson for the movement.