CathNews New Zealand

A  delegation from Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand recently presented its new booklet Remembering Parihaka to the Parihaka community after consulting them over its preparation.

“This is not a booklet just about Parihaka’s history,” said Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Director Julianne Hickey, “but a justice and peace resource that enables us to reflect on the impact of injustice today,  in communities across the country – and strive for peace in the future.”

Parihaka – on the western slopes of Mount Taranaki in New Zealand – became a centre for non-violent resistance under the leadership of Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi from 1865. It continues today to inspire discussion and a collective response to injustice.

Regular meetings to discuss the issues of the day – both local and national – have taken place on the 18^th and 19^th of each month at Parihaka since the 1870s. They were only interrupted during the village’s occupation by government forces in the 1880s, following a destructive invasion to remove the community’s leaders and most of its men.

Copies can be ordered from the Caritas office, or downloaded from the Caritas website www.caritas.org.nz

 Source

• Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• Image: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
  

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News category: New Zealand.