Taranaki War 1860-2010 exhibition

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.  

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the evening (Sign)

I then specifically greet you: Your Worship Peter Tennant, Mayor of New Plymouth District and your fellow councillors; Barbara McKerrow, Chief Executive of the New Plymouth District Council and your staff, notably Bill Macnaught , Manager of Puke Ariki; Hon Chris Finlayson, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations; Hon Maryan Street and Jonathan Young,  members of Parliament; Hon Sir Paul Reeves, my predecessor as Governor-General and Trustee of the Puke Ariki Charitable Trust and your fellow trustees; Colleen Tuuta, Chair of the TSB Community Trust; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and I to be here for the opening of Te Ahi Kā Roa, Te Ahi Kātoro Taranaki War 1860-2010 Our Legacy Our Challenge in New Plymouth this evening.

At the outset I would like to say how pleasant it is to return to Taranaki and to be here at Puke Ariki.  We undertook a major visit to the region in October last year and have always endeavoured to visit Puke Ariki whenever we are in this city.
  
As a unique museum, library and information centre, Puke Ariki has established a reputation for curating or hosting exhibitions that are of the highest calibre, and are highly topical.  There can be none more so than this major exhibition, which marks the beginning of the Taranaki Wars. 

The thought-provoking exhibition reflects considerable work by Puke Ariki staff and significant support of funders, including the TSB Community Trust and the Regional Museums Programme overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage.   I congratulate everyone for their efforts and look forward to the exhibition touring the country.

I would like to take an opportunity to speak to the subtitles of this exhibition - the words, "Our legacy, Our challenge."

It was 150 years ago today on 17 March 1860 that the first shots were fired by Imperial and Colonial troops on Te Kohia Pā near Waitara.  Those soldiers were acting on orders from my predecessor in office as Governor, Colonel Thomas Gore Browne, who had declared martial law in Taranaki.

Gore Browne was seeking to enforce a land deal named the Waitara Purchase which was inherently flawed.   As the late Lord Cooke, President of the Court of Appeal, noted 23 years ago in the landmark Māori Council case:

"It has been recognised for many years that the confiscation of lands in Taranaki after the wars of the 1860s was unjust. The wars stemmed not from disloyalty by Maori, but from the Government's persistence in trying to complete the purchase of land at Waitara when it knew or ought to have known that the subchief and his party who agreed to sell the land did not have sole right to do so.  Such at least was the opinion of the Royal Commission of 1927, chaired by Sir William Sim, the senior Supreme Court Judge of the day.  It has been the constant verdict of historians  ... and there is no reason for us to question a view so strongly supported."

Those wars and conflicts, including Titokowaru's campaign in South Taranaki, raged on and off for more than 20 years. The ongoing conflict culminated in the invasion and destruction of Parihaka in 1881 by more than 150 Armed Constabulary led by the Minister of Native Affairs, John Bryce.

After the invasion, Parliament passed laws allowing the prophets Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakāhi, whose non-violent teachings predated Mahatma Gandhi by some 25 years, to be held without trial.   Even after their release, further laws were passed making them subject to re-arrest without warrant, charge, or trial. 

It is with good reason then that New Zealand historian, the late Dr Michael King, has described the plundering of Parihaka as "one of the most shameful and inspiring incidents in our history."

The conflict of that time has cast a long shadow over relations between Māori and Pākehā, not only here in Taranaki, and in other parts of New Zealand.

The point is well made in the dates given for this exhibition-1860 to 2010.  First, it marks a significant milestone; 150 years since the start of the conflict.  But secondly, and more importantly, it underscores that while the military conflict ended more a century ago, the legacy lives with us to this day.
 
The wars saw large tracts of land confiscated, ensuring that the iwi of Taranaki became landless people in their own lands.   The lands they did retain were often perpetually leased at fixed rentals and reviews that bore little reflection of market rates.    

The loss of so much land denied the Taranaki tribes of more than just an economic base from which to build a future.  The breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi perpetrated here cut much deeper, affecting the psyche of the people. 

As a submitter named Peter Moeahu told the Waitangi Tribunal 20 years ago during its first week of hearings on the Taranaki Claim:  "When I look at a map of Taranaki and trace the confiscation line, it is an arrow piercing the heart of my people."

Those words were uttered with much passion and emotion in 1990-the sequicentenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.  It was five years after the jurisdiction of the Waitangi Tribunal had been extended to examine historical claims, and was a few years before the first historical settlements.  There was understandably some uncertainty from both Māori and Pākehā as to what would be the outcome of the process.

Even so, there was also a growing consciousness by many New Zealanders that if our nation was to prosper and advance, the legacy of the past had to be addressed. 

Examining wounds that ran so deeply, and which had been allowed to fester for a long time, would not only be a lengthy process, but would also be one that was inevitably painful.  

The point was well made the American civil rights leader, Rev Martin Luther King Jr, who, like Te Whiti and Mahatma Gandhi, also preached and practised non-violence.  As Dr King said:   "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate."

Even so, imbued by the best intentions of those who signed the Treaty of Waitangi 170 years ago, we have begun to earnestly address the past.  As a nation New Zealand has honourably sought to disengage its people from the "descending spiral" and to seek the truth. 

It has not always been a smooth process. Taking the road of reconciliation has meant we have hit a few potholes and there have been occasional delays and wrong turns.    The overall direction, however, has been positive and many iwi have reached settlements with the Crown to address their claims under the Treaty.  

Whilst much has been done, much remains to be done.  As a New Zealander in my mid-60s, blessed in the past year with two grandchildren, I am optimistic that the process of resolving historical claims will be completed in my lifetime.

I emphasised the prospects for New Zealand once that process is complete on Waitangi Day this year when I gave my Waitangi Day address at Ōnuku Marae in Akaroa.

The marae is the place where the Treaty was first signed in the South Island and was where, in 1998, the Crown formally apologised to Ngāi Tahu for the many wrongs it had committed.

Since the settlement more than a decade ago, the tribe has enhanced its wealth and launched initiatives to regenerate its culture, the health of its people, and the educational opportunities available to them. 

It is an example from which all New Zealanders can draw comfort, for it exemplifies a vision of a better, prosperous future and one where the Treaty is seen not as a burden, but as a beacon.

That vision has not been lost on Taranaki iwi either.  Four Taranaki iwi-Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Ruanui , Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi  and Ngāti Mutunga-have also settled their claims with the Crown.   I also understand that earlier today that Mr Finlayson signed agreements for the formal terms of negotiations with two more Taranaki iwi. I wish everyone all the best with their negotiations.

As this exhibition notes, we have inherited the legacy of the past and with it a fundamental challenge.   While we should never forget the past, we should not allow it to limit our prospects.

The quest for justice is more than a reminder of wrongs that have been suffered.  It should also and always be about a journey towards a better future.  As the American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:  "Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding."

And on a note, accordingly, of optimism, I will close in New Zealand's first language Māori, by offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours.   No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.

To find out more about the exhibition, click here