Young Maori movement

Young Maori movement Once dreams of an independent Maori state had been shattered by the early 1900s, a new generation of Maori leaders emerged, many of them educated at Te Aute College, such as Ngata, Pomare, and Buck. They believed in the need to accept the benefits of European society, some of them even considering Maori culture to be inferior. They went to live in the towns of the east coast and successfully trained in the professions such as teaching, law, and medicine. They created a political party (the Young Maori Party) which from 1905 represented the four Maori electoral districts which had been created in 1867. For the next three decades, they had a disproportionate influence in New Zealand politics. While perhaps not as influential on Maori culture as Te Puera Herangi, they were able to achieve important health and educational reforms, thus improving Maori welfare, and encouraging Maori population growth after decades of rapid decline. During the 1930s the movement lost its support to the more radical Ratana movement.