“Why Me?” — The Moment Dame Whina Cooper Was Asked to Lead a Nation

“Why not the university students? They know the law. They know the system. ”That was Dame Whina Cooper’s response when she was asked to lead the 1975 Māori Land March. She thought she was too old. But the people knew better.

In 1975, as land across Aotearoa continued to be taken and legislation continued to erode Māori land ownership, a plan was forming. A march, a hīkoi, would travel the length of the country to protest the ongoing alienation of whenua.

The movement needed a leader. Someone with mana. Someone the country would listen to.

Dame Whina Cooper didn’t volunteer. She wasn’t positioning herself as the face of a movement. In her own words:

“I said then, I’m getting too old to do that... Why not all these university students, or someone that knows about laws?”

But the answer came quickly: The people of New Zealand wouldn’t listen to them. They’d listen to her.

And they did.

Why the people chose Whina

Her leadership didn’t come from qualifications. It came from decades of lived service.

From being a teacher in Pawarenga, to president of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, to years of challenging government officials in public and behind closed doors, Dame Whina had become a symbol of strength, resilience, and vision.

She wasn’t chosen because she was the most radical. She wasn’t chosen because she had a law degree. She was chosen because she had credibility on the ground. And she had the trust of the people.

As communit advocate Vivian Hutchinson puts it in Matakite 2025:

“There was a wide sense in Māoridom that if Dame Whina Cooper was to lead it, then it was going to be something that you could safely support.”

Reluctance is not weakness

Whina’s hesitation to lead isn’t something to gloss over, it makes her leadership even more significant. She didn’t say yes for the spotlight. She said yes for the people.

This is a reminder that leadership, especially in kaupapa Māori spaces, isn’t always about putting yourself forward. It’s about showing up when you’re called, and doing so with humility.

Why this moment still matters

Today, we’re surrounded by voices. Some loud. Some expert. Some online. But when it comes to movements that change hearts and not just headlines people still look for the ones who carry lived truth.

Dame Whina’s voice mattered not because it was polished but because it was anchored in service, whakapapa, and the everyday lives of our people.

As we reflect on her legacy, this moment reminds us: Leadership doesn’t always look like ambition. Sometimes, it looks like answering the call when others say only you can do this.

Learn more about Whina Cooper’s life, leadership, and legacy:

👉 www.damewhinacooper.co.nz

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