Rangatahi push for future of NZ history
Elton Rikihana Smallman asks why the seminal event of our history – the New Zealand Wars – isn’t a core school subject and how that could change.
Leah Bell is not done with history just yet.
The former O¯ torohanga College student who was instrumental in tabling a petition at Parliament that instigated the Ra¯ Maumahara National Day of Commemoration of the New Zealand Wars, is up to her neck at Victoria University in Wellington learning about how our country was formed.
‘‘It’s helping me understand who we are,’’ Bell said. ‘‘It’s blown my mind, basically, learning history, especially since we don’t get to learn it at school.’’
Bell, 19, is in her second year studying history, English literature and te reo Ma¯ ori at Te Kawa a Ma¯ ui – School of Ma¯ ori Studies.
Four years ago, she and her classmates were just trying to make a difference at their school.
‘‘When Waimarama [Anderson] and I initially talked to our principal and to people at the school, spurred on by a visit to Rangiaowhia and Ora¯ ¯ kau, we were saying our school needs to remember this. We were thinking put up a plaque and start putting things in place in our school to remember our histories better.
‘‘We never expected to take it to a national level.’’
Since then, Bell and her schoolmates have been acknowledged around the country, by politicians and, most recently, the New Zealand History Teachers’ Association in a letter to the Ma¯ ori affairs select committee.
‘‘We are, I think, in a zeitgeist moment instigated in no small part by the efforts of the two O¯ torohanga schoolgirls, Leah Bell and Waimarama Anderson, and their New Zealand Wars commemoration petition,’’ said association chairman Graeme Ball in the letter.
The petition lit a fire in Bell’s belly, one she hopes to take to the Waitangi Tribunal.
‘‘We had no idea what we were doing, to be honest,’’ Bell said. ‘‘We were just rangatahi wanting to take responsibility for the fact that we were ignorant of our histories.
‘‘It’s hugely humbling and while we say it may have been initiated with us, we were really carrying a kaupapa that was bigger than we were.’’
O¯ torohanga College principal Lindsay Dunn said his school was in the middle of a significant Land Wars area.
‘‘It’s right on our doorstep here,’’ Dunn said. ‘‘We are right in the middle of a pretty significant area in terms of history.’’
Starting a dialogue with the community about the history of the area was vital.
‘‘Our kids have connections to these places. They’ll have connections to people who have connections, so that’s really exciting to me.’’
‘‘We are right in the middle of a pretty significant area in terms of history.’’
O¯ torohanga College principal Lindsay Dunn