.The 1950s through to 2000 was a period of rapid social change in Aotearoa New Zealand.1 Key issues across the period varied considerably from the challenges following World War II to varying protest movements and activism in the 1970s, to growing neoliberalism in the 1980s and 1990s, through to advanced technological changes by the year 2000. Issues and events impacted diverse groups of society
differently, as did the focus of the Crown over time.2 Equity has been defined by bodies such as the World Health Organization as “the absence of unfair, avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically, or geographically or by other dimensions of inequality (e.g. sex, gender, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation).”3 It is clear that for wāhine Māori (broadly translated to “Māori women”, but defined further below) the 1950 to 2000 period brought about a large number of changes and social impacts, but also inequity and disparities. This report aims to cover these inequities. As part of a casebook of research for the Wai 2700 Mana Wāhine Inquiry, this report contributes one section of a suite of research intended to inform and “best capture the issues of importance to wāhine
Māori over a long span of time”.4 This overview report was commissioned to provide an outline of historical background issues concerning wāhine Māori from 1950 through to 2000 and examine the impacts of Crown policy, practices, and legislation on the wellbeing of wāhine Māori during the 1950
to 2000 period (note that for some topics this ends in 1990; where other commissioned reports start on justice, representation and leadership, employment and education, and economic issues). A copy of the Tribunal’s memorandum-directions commissioning this report is attached as Appendix A. This report picks up from the end of Overview Report One which focuses on the recognition of wāhine Māori roles,
status and knowledge between 1840 and 1950.5 While this report explores a wide range of issues and topics (including social welfare, housing, health, justice, employment, education, mātauranga Māori, leadership, the status of wāhine Māori, violence and state care) the report mainly focuses on the Crown and where policy, practice, and legislation impacted on the wellbeing and inequity of wāhine Māori.


(From the report). Record #9023