“Dame” Whina Cooper was a New Zealand Maori activist who dedicated her life to fighting for Maori land rights and improving the living conditions of Maori women. She was the most extraordinary Maori woman of the century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay She was born in Northern Hokianga on 9 December 1895. Growing up in Te Karaka, she was greatly influenced by her father's role in the community and being a catechist in a Catholic church. When he was 18, he led a successful protest against the draining of a local swamp, and this proved to everyone that he had the ability to be a leader. The largest movement she was involved in was becoming chair of Māori land rights and led the march for Māori land reform in 1975. She also became the first president of a successful organization called The Māori Women's Welfare League. From the time she was young, people admired her for her vivacity, intelligence and maturity. She ventured into different employment fields like teacher, housekeeper, worked in a cooperative shop and many more. Around 1923 he resumed his leading role in the church and their communities. She formed a committee of women to organize conferences and raise funds. She was also once nicknamed "the digger of the Amazon" for her drain-digging skills, was a rifle shooter, a rugby coach and, in 1947, the first female president of a provincial branch of the union New Zealand rugby union. Around the 1950s New Zealand society began to change, so Whina Cooper wanted to preserve Maori culture through native arts and crafts, while promoting friendship and cooperation between various women's organizations. When European settlers began arriving in New Zealand it had a great impact on the Māori people. It has even gotten to the point where the Maori language is on the brink of extinction. The process of industrialization and rationalization also began to increase, and this led some Maori to begin migrating to the cities because their lifestyle, income and career expectations in rural areas were not able to meet them. The Maori faced many social problems in adapting to their new lifestyle. Whina has always been proud and values ​​Māori culture as she believes it defines our evolutionary identity. So, in 1951, she founded the Maori Women's Welfare League which somehow helped them perpetuate their culture. It is also in their aim to help Māori succeed in the future. During his six years of running this organisation, they helped thousands of Māori families survive the mass movement from the countryside to the cities in the 1950s. Another of her biggest movements is the March for Maori Land Reform which occurred in 1975. She became New Zealand Maori land rights chair from 1975 to 1994. She was concerned about Maori land rights and this led her to lead a hikoi (March) in 1975. He fought for Maori land all his life because since the treaty was signed, pakeha took all their lands. “Not another acre of land to lose,” he said. He believes they have a right to their lands, so he finally took action and protested about their land rights. This was one of the reasons why she became one of the most prominent women here in New Zealand, she proved to everyone that being a woman will not stop her from protecting her rights. The land march she led hasn't changed much, but is still significant for New Zealand as it demonstrated that this country has a.