Common Ground Bill Macnaught Manager Puke Ariki

Pooh K R E Key

Hill of the Chiefs Puke Ariki was an important Pa (fortified settlement) for many generations of Te Atiawa iwi “iwi” is similar to Scottish “clan”

Puke Ariki New Plymouth Taranaki New Zealand

Mt Taranaki Mt Taranaki is a volcano which is still regarded as the ancient ancestor of the people of Taranaki and still influences local culture

Te Maunga The mountain “You can’t talk about the maunga without talking about the people… they are one and the same” Rangi Kipa artist

Whakapapa More than genealogy Blood lines to the land Waahi tapu (sacred sites) Deeply held spiritual and cultural ties

Some history… Waitangi Treaty 1840 Taranaki Wars 1860 Confiscation of land1865 Waitangi Tribunal set up 1975 Taranaki report 1996

The Treaty of Waitangi 1840 Two versions - one in English; one in Mäori … In the English text, Queen Victoria was given 'all the rights and powers of sovereignty' over New Zealand Mäori chiefs thought they kept sovereignty but agreed to governance

In the English text, Mäori were guaranteed 'exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands and estates, forests, fisheries and other properties'. The Crown had an exclusive right to purchase their land. In the Mäori text, Mäori were guaranteed unqualified exercise of their chieftainship over their lands, villages, and all their property and treasures. Mäori also agreed to give the Crown the right to buy their land if they wished to sell it.

“Warfare …broke out in Taranaki in March “Those Mäori who resisted the alienation of their land were immediately branded as being in rebellion against the authority of the Crown, in defiance of … the Treaty, which provided for the Queen's sovereignty. “The New Plymouth military commander sent troops to enforce the purchase... “Many Mäori came to Taranaki to fight … and many others throughout the country were sympathetic …”

Taranaki region covers 1.8 million acres “During 1865, some 1,199,622 acres of Taranaki were confiscated... [from Mäori] The Government later claimed to have returned part of the land, but … we do not regard any of it as having been properly returned.” Waitangi Tribunal - Taranaki report 1996

Waitangi Tribunal “… having reconciled ourselves with the past and possessing a full understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi, Mäori and non-Mäori New Zealanders will be equipped to create a future for two peoples as one nation.” 1975

Why it matters “If the impact of Treaty breaches and the measures necessary to restore an equilibrium are significant criteria, then … you may be dealing with the country’s largest claim.” Waitangi Tribunal - Taranaki report 1996 Chair’s letter to the Minister

Te Whiti-o-Rongomai III Leader and prophet ( ) Descended from a long line of chiefs linked to Puke Ariki Pa Developed a systematic programme of passive resistance to settlers Parihaka village was his base

Plunder of Parihaka 1881 Led by John Bryce, a Scotsman born in Glasgow in He came to New Zealand with his father, elder brother, and sister on the Bengal Merchant in Bryce was the NZ Government’s Native Minister in 1881

John Bryce “ No man in public affairs could have been more uncompromising or more certain of the rightness of his principles and practice. His enemies regarded him as stupid and crude. He was perfectly sincere, always taking his stand on principles in a way which can only be characterised as stubborn.” An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand 1966

Passive resistance In an attempt to reassert Mäori rights the Parihaka prophets, Te Whiti and Tohu, encouraged their followers to resist settler development by:  pulling up survey pegs put down by the settlers  erecting fences across new roads  ploughing up settler farm plantings

The legacy Many Mäori are still seriously aggrieved because of historical issues Taranaki history has some of the most blatant Treaty breaches in NZ You cannot understand NZ today unless you know the history of Taranaki

Not just about land… 1867 Native Schools Act forbade the use of the Mäori language - Te Reo Mäori Waitangi tribunal claim about the importance of the language led to Mäori Language Act 1987 Te Reo Mäori is an official language of NZ

Common Ground 2010 will be 150 years since the first Taranaki War 4 year build up to a difficult exhibition Use the 4 years to look at differences between Mäori and others in social, environmental, cultural and economic aspects over the last 150 years

Means “Sacred woven mat” Took the social theme and used family stories as the vehicle Celebrating the fact that Taranaki today is culturally diverse Some Mäori have negative views because of unresolved grievances

Puke Ariki opened in 2003 Integrated public library, museum and archive (plus tourist information) Takapou Whäriki involved all three cultural professions Poutaki rauemi - guide to resources - was appointed in 2006 to develop the library’s relevance to Mäori

Mana Mana is a supernatural force attached to a person or an object An important person has mana Archival documents written by that important person have mana Documents have sometimes been buried, literally, when that person died

Te Reo o Taranaki Mäori language archive project to protect the Taranaki dialect Leading Mäori scholars from Taranaki have approached Puke Ariki last month to be a partner Original materials to be safeguarded with restricted access

Cultural difference Important historical information is protected by Mäori at different levels –Iwi –Hapu –Whänau Much history is still not shared

Global issues IFLA Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) Danish cartoons example Libraries around the world are involved in this debate even if they do nothing

From cultural imperialism to mutual respect