Urban Maori

Urban Maori Synopsis

The post-1945 migration to the cities by Maori transformed Aotearoa New Zealand forever. Before the Second World War 90% of Maori lived in rural tribal communities; by the mid-1970s almost 80% lived in the cities perhaps the fastest movement of any population from traditional homelands to the cities. Economic opportunity improved the lot of many but created huge disruption and challenges, making this a story of expectation, need, loss, isolation and revival. Exploring what being Maori means today, bestselling author Bradford Haami looks back to the experience of the first migrants, and traces the development of an urban Maori identity over the following years. Urban Maori intersperses first-person accounts of migrants with readable history and numerous photos, touching on the full spectrum of the migration experience including ground-breaking accounts of trade training schemes, urban marae, social deprivation and the Maori experience in Australia.