Māori Women's Welfare League

The Māori Women’s Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora is a New Zealand welfare organisation focusing on Māori women and children. It held its first conference in Wellington in September 1951.

The League's official aims are "To promote fellowship and understanding between Māori and European women and to cooperate with other women's organizations, Departments of State, and local bodies for the furtherance of these objects."

The formation of the League was a milestone in Māori culture. Through the organization, women were able to represent themselves in the New Zealand government for the first time. Formed in 1951 in Wellington, following the mass movement of Māori from rural to urban New Zealand, the league's original goal was to preserve Māori culture through their native arts and crafts while also promoting fellowship and cooperation among various women’s organizations. The league's formation was a direct result of the 1945 Māori Social and Economic Advancement Act. The mostly male members of the committee for social and economic advancement recognized the under-representation of women in government and created the Women's Welfare League to address this issue. Dame Whina Cooper was elected foundation president. Following its establishment, the League grew rapidly, with branches were established throughout New Zealand. Within its first 14 years of existence, membership had risen to approximately 3,000 members in branches across the country.

The League became heavily involved in housing, health, and education, focusing on families and healthy lifestyles in addition to women's issues. By 1956 the League had 300 branches, 88 district councils and over 4000 members. As president, Dame Whina Cooper became the highest profile Māori woman in New Zealand. Cooper, however, was acting in consultation with the League's executive less and less, and in 1957 she was persuaded to step aside as President. The League's annual conference bestowed her the title "Te Whaea o te Motu" (Mother of the Nation) in 1958. In the early days of the organization the priority was to raise the levels of poverty for the community and replace them with adequate public housing. In the 1960s, the women's league developed an afterschool homework program and established Māori language schools. By the 1980s because of this type of action the organization was able to persuade the government into making te reo Māori part of the country's official languages.

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