Matiu Rata

The Honourable Matiu Rata
32nd Minister of Māori Affairs
In office 8 December 1972 – 12 December 1975
Prime Minister	Norman Kirk Bill Rowling
Preceded by	Duncan MacIntyre
Succeeded by	Duncan MacIntyre
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Northern Maori
In office 1963 – 1980
Preceded by	Tapihana Paraire Paikea
Succeeded by	Bruce Gregory
Personal details
Born	26 March 1934 Te Hāpua, New Zealand
Died	25 July 1997 (aged 63)
Political party	Labour (1963–80) Mana Motuhake (1980–97)

Matiu Rata (26 March 1934 – 25 July 1997) was a New Zealand Māori politician from the Labour Party.

Political career

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1963	33rd	Northern Maori		Labour
1963–1966	34th	Northern Maori		Labour
1966–1969	35th	Northern Maori		Labour
1969–1972	36th	Northern Maori		Labour
1972–1975	37th	Northern Maori		Labour
1975–1978	38th	Northern Maori		Labour
1978–1979	39th	Northern Maori		Labour
1979–1980	Changed allegiance to:			Independent

Rata was a Member of Parliament for Northern Maori from a 1963 by-election to 1980.

He was the Minister of Lands and Minister of Māori Affairs in the Third Labour Government of New Zealand between 1972 and 1975. He was the architect of both the Māori Affairs Amendment Act of 1974, which gave Māori greater control over their land, and the 1975 creation of the Waitangi Tribunal.^[1]

In 1979 he resigned from the Labour Party.^[1] In 1980 he resigned from Parliament and formed the Mana Motuhake Party to contest the resulting 1980 by-election. He was defeated by Bruce Gregory, coming second with 991 fewer votes than Gregory.

Following his exit from Parliament Matiu Rata was the leader of the Muriwhenua in presenting their Treaty of Waitangi claims to the Waitangi Tribunal, resulting in a settlement of Māori fishing claims for the tribes of the Far North.^[1]

Rata's widow, Nellie Rata, stood for ACT in Te Tai Tokerau at the 1999 general election, having been unsuccessful in securing the Alliance nomination.^[2] She received 280 votes, to finish in seventh place in the 13-candidate race.

References

1. "Matiu Rata: Biography". NZ History. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
2. Bain, Helen (20 September 1999). "Who's who in the ring". New Zealand Herald. p. 6.

External links

• Biography of Rata, NZhistory.co.nz
• Maori Leaders