Synopsis

The Story…

The islands of New Zealand lie in the southern reaches of the Pacific ocean. In the North Island in the western province of Taranaki, a lone mountain stands. Beneath its foot you’ll discover the once thriving town of Parihaka.

In the late 1800s Parihaka was the last great Māori strong-hold. Thousands moved to this refuge under the mountain. Many had suffered land wars and subsequent loss of ancestral lands. The community quickly rose to agricultural prosperity and political significance.

A Battle of Ideologies…

The colonial government was hungry for the land and jealous of the political power wielded by Parihaka leaders; ‘prophets’ Tohu Kakahi and Te Whiti O Rongomai. Despite New Zealand’s famed Treaty of Waitangi (1840), Parihaka lands were confiscated. Promised reserves never eventuated.

Led by Parihaka elders: Te Huirangi Waikerepuru and Te Rangikotuku Rukatai this documentary reveals the story. We’ll see how from 1879 to 1881, Parihaka waged an astounding nonviolent offensive against the colonial authorities. We’ll witness the chess-like maneuvers of the community, defiantly resisting occupation of their lands. The systematic removal of surveyors’ boundary pegs, defiant ploughing of confiscated land, and relentless fencing across invasive roads, led to mass arrests. We'll uncover the suspension of habeas corpus under trumped up laws. And then, we’ll witness how over four hundred men were moved to remote jails in the South Island, only to be held there, indefinitely.

The Military Seige of Parihaka… 

Several of the Parihaka prisoners died in the grim prisons. Even members of the British House of Lords started to ask questions of the New Zealand Government. In mid 1881 the last of the prisoners were transported home.

We revisit the day months later, when a military force of sixteen hundred men gathered from throughout the country, marched on Parihaka. These armed and battle-hungry soldiers were met by a rousing haka from hundreds of small boys as they marched around the bend of the road. The troops were offered bread baked by Parihaka’s women. Children sang and skipped in greeting as the soldiers passed through the village gates.

The military were under direct orders to open fire at any provocation. Not a single shot was fired that day. This peaceful defiance of a large army backed by the British Crown, stands as one of the great moments in world history.

The Aftermath. A Cover Up…

Perhaps due to the unfathomable destruction of the town and its farms that followed, or the grim five-year military occupation of the community that remained, the story has been energetically covered up. A New Zealander today will talk enthusiastically about Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jnr, but likely will not have heard of Te Whiti O Rongomai or Tohu Kakahi. Once purposefully omitted from official maps, Parihaka’s existence continues to be obscured from public view.

We meet Andrew Judd who began his mayoral term in New Plymouth as a self- described ‘right-wing’ candidate. A narrative of 19th Century land confiscations within his jurisdiction made its way to his table. Four hours later he was still sitting there in shock. His confrontation of his own ignorance and unconscious racism is echoed by many accompanying him on the three day hikoi (traditional peace walk) he leads to Parihaka in 2016.

Local Dairy Farmer Andy Collins once burst into tears driving past Parihaka. He describes the uneasiness that has haunted him, the feeling of farming land not rightfully his own. One day he walked through the gates of the town, asking for forgiveness.

Official Government Apology and Reconciliation…

Jim Bolger, a man who would become New Zealand’s Prime Minister, had no knowledge that his childhood family farm occupied land once belonging to Parihaka. His shock at his ignorance spurred him to introduce a policy of historical legal redress for Māori whilst in office. Recently he helped orchestrate an official apology to Parihaka.

On a clear winter’s morning on June 9th 2017, a large group gathers on a hilltop at Parihaka. The call of the conch, karakia (prayer), and poi (traditional songs) go out into the darkness. The first light breaks through. This day is ‘He Puanga Haeata’ (The New Dawn).

As the morning progresses, thousands are welcomed onto the marae, including descendants of the soldiers who invaded in 1881. Attorney General Chris Finlayson reads an 'Official Apology’ and signs, together with the current leaders of Parihaka, the ‘Deed of Reconciliation’.

The Legacy. Why Is This Film Important? 

Parihaka is both a microcosm of a the worldwide story of nonviolent resistance as a proven way of resolving conflict, and a forerunner in this international movement. The town’s history of peaceful defiance against injustice has drawn Martin Luther King Jr’s representative Dr Lawrence Carter, and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun Gandhi, to the remote North Island community.

The story of Parihaka is close to the heart of our nation, there just behind our projected identity of a country in admirable harmony with Māori. In creating this film we are taking part in Tohu Kakahi and Te Whiti o Rongomai’s expressed intention; that nonviolence as a means of addressing conflict shall be seen throughout the world. In a time when tensions within and between nations are troubling, and violence as a means of addressing conflict is all too common, this story illuminates a philosophy whose time has surely come.