In 2005 The Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Right Honourable Helen Clark, opened the new Kopinga Marae. This was the first time that Moriori have had such acknowledgement of their place in society, history and in the culture of New Zealand. For over 160 years, Moriori have suffered from enslavement, vilification, death and despair.
Today the descendants of those few that survived into the late 1800s are responsible for the renaissance of their culture.
During the Land Court sittings on Rekohu in the mid to late 1800’s Maori were awarded 97% of the land on the Chathams,and Moriori just 3%.
Today, Moriori have bought back a small percentage of what was taken from them under a different cultures customs.
Moriori assets now include, Henga: Lodge and Farm, Kaingaroa Farm, Kopinga Marae, Shared management with the Department of Consevation of Taia farm, and a joint venture stake in Whangaroa seafoods factory at Whangaroa harbour (Port Hut).
Moriori have fought against myths and lies to re-establish their identity, but the hardest battle for Moriori as a people has been the complete indifference of successive New Zealand Governments to their plight. Indifference and inaction has proven to be just as effective at repression as the inaction of the Government back in the 1800s when Moriori were being eaten and murdered.
Hokotehi Moriori Trust is the Iwi group that represents Moriori today and has been responsible for the successful claims through the Waitangi Tribunal, construction of the Marae and stewardship of the various assets that Moriori now own.
Hokotehi have also began the creation of a range of websites designed to raise the profile of Moriori culture across the education spectrum, primarily in New Zealand, but secondly globally. The reason behind the global approach?
Moriori have had a “Covenent of Peace” which has been the centre of their existence for hundreds of years. This creed, enabled them to keep their mana, when faced with annihilation in 1835. It is this same creed that other nations of the world should adopt and it is the same creed that Ghandi, Mandela, the Dalai Lama and many others have discovered and promoted hundreds of years after Moriori first began to follow it.
Make no mistake. Moriori were not a race of non-combatant, easy living natives, living on a south Pacific island. They were originally a very warlike people, often at war with neighbouring tribes, and even after their migration to the Chatham Islands, about the same time as when Maori arrived in New Zealand, they still fought among themselves.
It was one of their Ieriki, (chiefs) called Nunuku, who made the proclamation some 23 generations before 1852, that outlawed the killing of another. Since then Moriori have followed this creed.
In the next issue we will discuss the events of the 1835 invasion and see why there should be no blame apportioned to those involved, only on those who sat by and watched.
