Te Kotahitanga
Māori Parliament Movement Te Kotahitanga | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Te Whare Ariki (Upper House) Te Whare o Raro (Lower House) |
| History | |
| Founded | 14 June 1892 |
| Disbanded | 21 March 1902 |
| Succeeded by | Māori councils |
| Leadership | |
Chairman | |
Speaker | |
Premier | |
| Seats | 140 (1892) 44 (Whare Ariki) 96 (Whare o Raro) |
| Meeting place | |
| Waipatu (1892, 1893), Pākirikiri (1894), Rotorua (1895), Taupō (1896), Pāpāwai (1897, 1898), Rotorua (1900, 1901), Waiōmatatini (1902) | |
| Design | A flag designed by Norman Te Whata which features a circle, off-center to hoist, with two crossed mere with the word "Kotahitanga" above it. |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Norman Te Whata |
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 By 1902 its role was largely superseded by the Māori councils established by James Carroll and Hōne Heke Ngāpua through the Māori Councils Act 1900.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.