Dame Patsy travelled to Maungapohatu, a remote Tuhoe settlement in the Ureweras, where she gave Royal Assent to the Rua Kenana Pardon Bill, which in addition to pardoning Rua Kenana, also conveyed an apology from the Crown.
Rua Kenana was a religious leader and established a community at Maungapohatu with his followers. In 1916, armed police arrived at Maungapohatu to arrest Rua Kenana on charges relating to the sale of liquor. Two of the local people were killed by the police, and Rua Kenana and another man were arrested. After a lengthy trial, all the charges against Rua Kenana were dropped, apart from the charge of 'moral resistance'. He was convicted on that charge and imprisoned. On his release, he returned to Maungapohatu to find that many of his followers had drifted away and what had been a flourishing community was a shadow of its former self.
The Rua Kenana Pardon Act restores the mana and reputation of Rua Kenana. The event at Maungapohatu was attended by some of his many descendants.
