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 18th and 19th 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
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