Parihaka was a large village in South Taranaki, founded during the punitive years of mass confiscation and dispossession of Māori from their lands. By 1870 it had become the largest Māori village in the country built on hard work, enterprise and community responsibility Parihaka

Parihaka was established by the charismatic religious and secular leaders, Te Whiti-o- Rongomai of the Ngati Ruanui tribe and Tohu Kakahi Te Whiti had been educated at a Lutheran mission school He had kept out of the Taranaki Wars after 1864 and advocated passive resistance by means of peaceful protest

Te Whiti and Tohu settled at Parihaka in 1866 with 600 followers and foundered a community centered on religion and peace Parihaka became a haven for the dispossessed from the length and breadth of the country. The leadership of Te Whiti and Tohu helped Taranaki people reconstruct their lives after the devastation and social dislocation of war The community grew to over 2000 people and became the focus of resistance to Pakeha power.

Parihaka was a successful self-reliant community Liquor was strictly forbidden Large scale cultivations - maize- potatoes - tobacco - vegetables Had a slaughter house, bakery, bank and prison Generated electricity for lighting

A paramount issue to Maori in the 19 th Century was that both their land and culture were being quickly eroded away by the influx of white settlers and subsequent conflicts between the two cultures Te Whiti and Tohu advocated good relationships and interaction between all races as long as Māori ownership of lands and independence from Pākehā domination was respected.

Te Whiti and Tohu drew on ancestral as well as Christian teachings to offer both spiritual and political leadership. They established monthly meetings at Parihaka on the 18th day to which Māori and Pākehā leaders were invited to attend to discuss the injustices and strategise for the resistance to land grabbing and assimilation.

In 1879 the government started surveying confiscated land on the Waimate Plains which threatened Parihaka The resistance strategies of Te Whiti and Tohu aimed to place pressure on the government through non-violent means -Ploughing farmers fields -Pulling out survey pegs -Building fences across roads

The press turned Te Whiti into a raving religious fanatic who, it was said, was prepared for rebellion against the Queen Parihaka and its leaders were seen as a threat to the stability of the whole country and some within the government felt Te Whiti should be dealt with swiftly They wanted there to be no question as to where dominance over New Zealand rested

On the morning of 5 th November 1881, 1500 armed men were led into Parihaka by the Native Minister, John Bryce who described Parihaka as "that headquarters of fanaticism and disaffection". 1

The people of Parihaka sat quietly on the marae while singing children greeted the army with food Houses were smashed, the wharenui destroyed, animals slaughtered, crops uprooted, women raped and people forcibly dispersed

Many were arrested including Tohu and Te Whiti who was charged with ‘wickedly, maliciously, and seditiously contriving and intending to disturb the peace.’ 2 Parliament passed legislation enabling the Government to hold the protesters indefinitely without trial. They endured 2 years of exile in the South Island before being returned to Parihaka in 1883

Parihaka was rebuilt and many of those who had been sent away returned once more The ploughing campaign continued into the 1890’s as did the imprisonment of protestors without trial Te Whiti and Tohu had returned with an increase rather than a decrease in their mana however they became divided which weakened the community Following the death of Tohu, on 4 February 1907, Te Whiti is said to have mourned until his own death 11 months later at Parihaka on 18 November.

“The invasion of the settlement on the 5th of November 1881 by 1500 militia and armed members of the constabulary was the result of greed for Māori owned land and the quest for power by politicians and settlers” “One of the tawdriest instances of Pakeha mistreatment of the Maori” Brooking, T. (1999)

Those such as Maui Pomare and Peter Buck who were to emerge as significant Maori figures later on had listened to the words of Te Whiti at Parihaka Parihaka remains a potent symbol of non-violent protest. From the 1970s the settlement grew in size and received many visitors, both Māori and Pākehā 2000–2001 an exhibition in Wellington brought together 120 years of art, poetry and songs about Parihaka.

Te Whiti’s Monument Parihaka Peace Festival

Brooking, T. (1999) Milestones. Turning Points in New Zealand History (2 nd ed.) Palmerston North: Dunmore Press King, M. (2003) The Penguin History of New Zealand. Auckland: Penguin Books Stenson, M. and Olssen, E. (1997) A Century of Change. New Zealand Auckland: Longman