Parihaka

First we remembered everything we could from last week.

Last week we learnt that there was something called the New Zealand Land Wars that happened between 1845-1872. It was all about who controlled the land in NZ. It was complicated because some land was traded fairly and some was taken. The wars were imbalanced (unfair) because the Europeans had more manpower (people), and a higher quantity and quality of weapons (more of them and better ones). The Maoris were outnumbered so they had to use secret plans and some guerilla warfare tactics in order to fight back.

The big idea about this is that the two groups of people viewed the land differently - Maori’s held a collectivist viewpoint, where land and other resources (oceans, fish, forests) should be cared for and shared by everyone. Europeans held an individualistic viewpoint, and wanted to own the land in order to have farms and make money. Even today there viewpoints cause conflict around the world.

Parihaka

Our first questions -

Junefia - What does Parihaka mean?

Parihaka means it is the name of their village or their place.

Marlene - why did the people send the kids out?

They didn't want them to get hert.

Dyzon - why were the two guys sent to prison for 16 months?

Te whiti and his friend tohu went to jail cause the europeans thought that if they take the leaders of the tribe they all would run away, but they didn’t.

Marilyn - why was the village surrounded by soldiers?

Lynch - what people left the land that Parihaka was built on? (Who was there before them?) There was a Maori tribe that lived there but we don’t know who. They got sent off the land by the government and the land was claimed for Europeans but they didn’t build on it for ten years.

Garth - why did Te Whiti go to jail?

Te Whiti was sent to jail because he was the leader of the Maoris and the Pakehas wanted the land back to make farms. But when he was in jail, his people were scared but did not run away from the land. They protected it.

Anittah - was there a reason Why all the Maori men went to jail?

So when the men go the Children and the ladies will get scared and leave.

Ana - why were the protectors put in jail?

The government put the mens in jail so they could scare the womens and children away and they could take the land back, but they didn’t run away they protected the land.

Maria - why did the government promise the people land?

So the government promised to them a piece of land for them to live on. And in ten years no one claim to live on the land so they built a new village called Parihaka.

Moana - why did 200 children block the road?

Because the europeans did not want them to get harmed or killed them.

Wesley - does Parihaka still exist?

Yes the Parihaka village still exist and Maori people still live there and honour the history

Tisharn - why was Parihaka famous?

Because he was a peaceful man and he taught it to a lot of the maori.

Angellynah - why did the soldiers burn the peoples houses down and destroy their crops?

Cause they soldiers thought that the land was theirs and they wanted to get off the land.

Michael - How was the government able to keep Te Whiti and Tohu for 16 months without a trial?? The government was made up of Europeans so they had control. There was no Maoris in the government to defend Te Whiti and Tohu, so they just did what they wanted.

Tsai - Why did the Europeans want the land?

Because they were jalless that the maori had land and the parihaka did not. They wanted to make farms.

Joshua/Rakel - why did the Maori people build their new village at Parihaka?

They built land because the europeans government didn't give them land so they had to build some new land and they called it parihaka and their leader was called te whiti.

Janett - Why did the government let the men go out of jail?

Because the jail have to many parihaka mens in the jail and the they set them free.

Langiola - Why did the people offer the soldiers 500 loaves of bread?

So there kids can survie and themselves because there in a war so the can fight people to. They have to be full with food so they cant die cause they have to protect people that are in danger and not make themselves or anyone, else stave because together we are strong we are family because we all love each other so much.

Mathew - Why is this story famous in NZ?

The Maoris were peaceful.

Litia - Why was Te Whiti preaching to the people? What was he preaching about?

He was preaching by peace. Cause he wanted to make people peace full like how he is.

Rona - What happened at the end of the story? What did the people of Parihaka do?

Founded in the mid-1860s, Parihaka was soon attracting dispossessed and disillusioned Māori from around the country.

Miss Ashley - where is the village of Parihaka? Where were the prisons kept?

The village of Parihaka is near the coast by Taranaki. The prisoners from Parihaka were sent to jails in different places all over NZ. The most famous one was in Dunedin, and it was pretty much a cave. The men were kept in caves without trial. When they were released they went ship back to Taranaki.

Big ideas -

• Maori were peaceful!
• Europeans wanted land to make farms.
• Maori were kind and offered the soldiers food.
• The government promised them land, but they never gave it.