Parihaka and the Kīngitanga: holding on to mana

After 1840, settlers wanted more and more land. Many iwi saw that selling land piece by piece could leave them with nothing. They looked for ways to hold on to their mana.

The Kīngitanga

In 1858 iwi from many parts of the North Island chose Pōtatau Te Wherowhero of Waikato as the first Māori King. The idea was to unite iwi, stop land sales and keep authority in Māori hands, alongside the Queen rather than against her. The colonial government saw it as a challenge. In 1863 British troops invaded the Waikato, and afterwards the government confiscated more than a million acres of land. The Kīngitanga survived and continues today.

Parihaka

In Taranaki the government also confiscated huge areas after war. In 1866 the prophets Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi founded Parihaka, a village that became a refuge for people who had lost their land. They taught that fighting with weapons would not bring justice.

Peaceful resistance

When surveyors came to cut up confiscated land for settlers, Parihaka men pulled out survey pegs, built fences and ploughed the land. In 1879 Te Whiti told the ploughmen: 'If they smite you, smite not in return.' Hundreds were arrested. Parliament passed special laws so they could be kept in prison without a trial.

5 November 1881

About 1,600 armed troops and volunteers marched on Parihaka. They were met by children singing and offering food, and people sitting quietly. Te Whiti and Tohu were arrested and held without trial for more than a year. Homes and crops were destroyed, and people were seriously harmed.

An apology

In 2017 the Crown apologised to Parihaka, and in 2019 Parliament passed the Parihaka Reconciliation Act. The apology said the Crown had answered peace with force. Parihaka is now remembered alongside peaceful movements around the world, and every year on 5 November many people mark Parihaka Day.