Stories from the past we all need to hear
This week I was among the hundreds of people who witnessed a truly momentous occasion in Taranaki history. Over three days, Te Pu¯ take o Te Riri, He Ra¯ Maumahara, the nation’s land war commemorations, were held at Owae Marae in Waitara.
The event focused on the battles between 1860-1861 but the kaupapa was much bigger than that.
Even the weather seemed to reflect the mood as commemorations got under way on Monday.
Steady rain fell as the powerful haka po¯ whiri got under way, but not long after the raukura (white feather) was offered as a sign of peace to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and other Crown representatives, the wet weather abated and sun broke through the clouds.
It highlighted what was to become a theme throughout the commemorations: that following darkness there can be light; that after war there can be peace, but only when the whole truth is known will there be genuine reconciliation.
For me it also keenly highlighted the pain and hardship Ma¯ ori have faced but also the compromise and conciliatory attempts they have offered in return.
The organisers of the Waitara-based commemorations, led by Dr Ruakere Hond, should be congratulated for the work they put into making the event the success it was, assisted, I know, by many hands behind the scenes.
It provided a real opportunity to not only get to grips with the events that shaped Waitara, and the province, into what it looks like today but also a way to engage with Ma¯ ori language, culture and tikanga.
That was a goal Hond aimed for. He wanted Te Pu¯ take o Te Riri to be something everyone would embrace and it was heartening to see so many people – Ma¯ ori, Pa¯ keha¯ , young and old – taking up that invitation.
Now it is imperative that the momentum and interest the event created does not wane.
Ardern, who spoke at the conclusion of the po¯ whiri, reiterated how important it was for the country to know its own history and referred to an announcement she made in September relating to the introduction of just that into the curriculums of primary and secondary schools from 2022.
It was a policy decision instigated by the work of a group of rangatahi from Otorohanga High School and while Ardern highlighted the important role young people will have in shaping the future of the nation’s race relations, I believe there is an onus on older New Zealanders to play their part too.
As the ko¯ rero and resources about the nation’s land wars continues to grow, aided by this week’s release of the NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara documentary, there will remain little excuse to remain ignorant of the country’s past.
It can start by just being open to listening to the different stories, acknowledging the pain of the past and acknowledging its ties to the present.
Your gift could then be to share that new-found knowledge and understanding with your own tamariki or wha¯ nau.