Yes. I need to get with the programme. I have been very remiss of late and have not had the time or the opportunity to keep this site updated and I have been very rude to several guests who have kindly submitted comments. I apologise for my inaction. (Well,…inaction on this site maybe!)

News and views from the motu: I see that Hokotehi Moriori Trust need a pat on the back for finally getting their own website up and runningf, and what a site. Its a beauty and obviously built by someone with some skills. The builder(s) are some outfit called DNA and they are located in Wellington.

Also Moriori have done some really good work with their School Camps website and the Education Resources sites as well. It all helps to get the real stories out there if they have multiple websites telling the story. Obviously the changes underway on the Chatham Lodge site will eventually settle down? and we can look forward to that site looking a bit more appealing, or is the rumour true that it will be called Henga Lodge soon?  Speaking about that, how is the global recession impacting on Chatham Lodge and tourism in general on the Islands? Is it really that bad?

I believe that eventually the visitor industry down here will recieve a boost from the increaseisitors crawling across the mainland. We will have to wait and see on that one.

Kopinga Marae is generating quite a lot of interest across the web lately as people are becoming aware of what and who Moriori are. The best thing that you (or I ) can do for Moriori on the web is to create as many links as you can to their websites as that will increase search engine coverage and therefore increase peoples knowledge of Moriori and the issues.

The websites that want or NEED links are:

http://www.moriori.co.nz  and http://www.school-camps.co.nz   and http://www.chatham-lodge.co.nz and http://www.education-resources.co.nz

If you can simply create a couple of links to those sites, you will increase the exposure of Moriori and you will play a part in helping them to gain their recognition and rightful place in society.

I realise that this posting is not the usual politically incorrect posting that you all have been waiting for, and I am sorry. NO I have not gone soft, merely busy. Give me a week or two and I’ll give you something more riveting or controversial, or something.

To Terry and the other commentators, I really do apologise that your comments were kept waiting so long.

Totally unacceptable.

Me rongo

Rekohu

Quick history: Moriori have lived her on Rekohu for many hundreds of years, possibly since before the ancestors of today’s Maori landed in New Zealand and definitely since then. Either way Moriori acknowledges a shared background to Maori, but they have developed in the sanctuary and isolation of these islands, much in the same way that Maori have developed their own culture here in New Zealand.

In 1791 the peaceful existence was shattered by the discovery of these islands and this people by Europeans.

44 years later in 1835, two Moair tribes invaded the islands on chartered European sailing ships and under the watchful eyes of the resident pakeha, they “walked the land” laying claim to everything and everyone, killing those that argued and many who didnt. There were 1561 Moriori alive then, after the killing was over there were only a couple of hundred left and in less than one hundred years, there were none. The invading Maori knew that Moriori were pacifists and wouldnt fight back,so their task was easy. It didnt stop them from roasting and eating many of their victims and enslaving, raping, murdering or destroying the remainder. This all happened despite repeated protests and requeste to the Governor of NZ and pakeha residents on the island.

Slavery was outlawed in New Zealand with the Treaty of Waitangi and by the annexing of the Chatham Islands by the Government in 1842. They simply ignored the slavery of Moriori until 1863, by which stage there were only 100 Moriori left.

In 1933 the last known full-blooded Moriori died. But the race has not died. Descendantsof that last Moriori and others have revived the culture and are coming out from under the covers of oppression and myth.

Hokotehi Moriori Trust is evidence of the changing views of society. A people once denigrated and vilified, now accepted and subtly acknowedged. (Shh, cant upset Maori by being to publicly sympathetic)

Moriori are still being marginalised even today and even by Government departments. The Department of Conservation, for example has an opportunity on behalf of the Crown to dispense some justice for Moriori by allowing them to have at least commercial access and priority over lands and islands that they once owned, (and would own today if the justice system really was about justice). The islands of Rekohu were stolen or subjugated and Moriori were forceably removed and disenfranchised.

Forget the argument that it all happened a long time ago so why should we do anything about it now or why should WE have to worry about it. Because we are still doing it to them. Thats why. Get a grip and look around. This country has poured millions into treaty claims and bent over backwards to accommodate the tangata whenua because deep down we all know that it is right. Well, the same reasons for that being right only scratches the surface for what would be right for Moriori .

Denying Moriori access to the islands or access to a management partnership over access willcause a fresh treaty claim. Not including any references to Moriori in Educational publications is an insult, of gigantic proportions, and certainly would also be cause for fresh grievance from Moriori. The outfits that pubish offical school atlases cant even put the Bloody Chathams in them. The Government, through the Ministry of Education, publishes books curriculum documents in English, Maori, Spanish German, Cantonese, French and and God knows what else, but they cant even mention the word Moriori in any offical school documents to date.

That smacks (like a wet towel) of racism. Pandering to those Maori that would be offended if Moriori were given too much recognition perhaps?

I reckon that the Department should stop playing games and do the right thing by Moriori. After all,  Moriori looked after all of those bird and plant species well enough before you guys came along.

A win win answer might be a deal such as in other delicate areas around NZ where Maori act in partnership with DOC and run restricted exclusie commercial ventures on DOC estate.

There is precedent and there is desire form Moriori but for some reason DOC is making it difficult for partnership to occur, preferring instead to act like the colonial ruler that sat by and watched Moriori get eaten  174 years ago. Perhaps nothing does change in the fourth estate.

Marginalise them, frustrate them, eliminate them!

Getting annoyed

Me rongo

Rekohu

What we need to create on the Chatham Islands, is the perception that it is an awesome place to live, work, raise kids and retire too. That it is the next land of milk and honey. Which it actually is… well sort of.

We need to make it a desirable destination to visit and work, because they both go hand in hand. More visitors, more workers, more workers: more capacity for visitors, or something like that.

How can we turn this around then?

By creating, overnight, such a demand for workers, that wages exceed anything elsewhere in NZ and providing employment and housing for them.

No, I havent lost the plot.

It really is simple.

Every scrap of quota that is caught in the EEZ economic exclusion zone should be processed on the Chatham Islands.!

It is irrelevent whether it is caught by NZ vessels or JVs, it must be processed here on Rekohu.

This would solve, pretty damned quickly, the employment problems, the energy problems and the shipping problems.

Processors would need to upgrade facilities and import staff and provide housing (up to a standard).

Factories would need to be extended. Freezer capacity would need to be increased. Shipping of frozen product would need to be improved and increased significantly.

Put it this way. Would the big fishing companies that currently plunder the Chathams area, turn their backs on the millions of dollars that they are making in profits at the moment? No

They would work smarter.

They would get rid of their 180 metre factory vessels that stay at sea for 6weeks at a time and run smaller trawlers, perhaps out of here, which catch and land every week or so, based on Rekohu. They would supply land based fuel. They would process here and they would ship from here. It would probably work out more cost effective for them anyway.

All it takes is for a concerted approach, by all groups, the Trust, the Iwi groups, Council, MAF, Farmers etc, and the highly influential (in some people’s view) Taylor Baines Review team to recommend it to the Government and it could happen. It would also be beneficial to the Islands to have a Minister made specifically responsible for the Chatham Islands, such as what occurs with Norfolk Island and the Aussie government.

Thats my answer anyway. I havent done the figures but I did sit down and try and work out exactly how much value in $terms there was in all of the quota for this area, and all I got was a headache. So I gave up.

Just like everyone else is giving up.

The $20 million patch up isnt necessarily the answer either.

I agree that the redevelopment of wharfing facilities at Port Hutt may be a good idea, but if you really think that the only reason that the current shipping service costs so much is due to weather delays, then you really dont have a very good grasp on the situation at all. In fact there is really only one thing that you do have a grasp on, and its not shipping.

I am also not convinced that relying on windpower is the answer either….. Yes we all know that it can blow down here…. but it doesnt do it all of the time……… and generating the power from wind is easy…….. its storing the excess for later use that is the expensive part of the game….. Any way, more from me later.

I would love to hear your views.

Tune in for the next posting, we will discuss the impact of the global credit crunch,  local Iwi politics, local business movements and ways in which the Govt could help improve our lot.

If you have a view on any of these issues, or any issues at all, send us an email. We’d love to hear from you?

Rekohu

People have always come and gone from these islands. Some to return at a later date. Some never.

But all are always welcome and they are always whanau. If you have been there once, or if your family was once there, still there, thinking of going there, then you are whanau too.

But now, today, something more insidious is afoot. The crippling cost of living on Rekohu is driving people away. Fewer people are returning and more are going.

For my 28 years of involvement with Rekohu, the population havs always been a steady 750 folks and a good 40-50 on Rangiauria (Pitt Island). At the last census, the population was recorded as a total (Pitt and Rekohu) of 606 hardy souls, with a mixture of ethnicities,  backgrounds and incomes.

This goes against the national and global trends for population increase.

They are actually leaving and no-one is filling the gaps.

For the first time in a long long time (probably for ever) there are more houses for sale than there are buyers.

There isnt a single issue that is causing this problem. There are many and it seems like in the past 2-3 years, that they have all come to a head. This will be a conversation piece for a fair while I suspect. I look forward to getting a few comments and views on this.

One of the biggest issues though has to be the cost of living.

Electricity prices are about 5 times that of living in the mainland.

Every single item of foodstuffs that you import has a freight component. Everything that you buy here has that freight cost built in, with mark-ups from 0% to 200% on some in-store items.

Fuel prices seem to rise disproportionately to that of our mainland suppliers, perhaps reflecting the inadvisability of permitting monopolistic situations, in both the shipping, the agents and the retail sectors.

NO monopoly is good for anything.

The inextricable, complex and undoubtedly financially rewarding relationship between the shipping agent, the ships owners and the retail outlets is definitely a recipe for community disaster.

Little doubt that the locals sense a rat in the mix. Especially when one considers that the price of fuel at the pumps is a lot higher than the commercaial “bulk rates” that suppliers can provide.

No wonder that the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust seems hell-bent on becoming involved in providing fuel, or at least an alternative outlet for us peasants. Lets hope that their commercial imperative remains firmly tainted by the social obligations and conscience that they are mandated to have, because they dont appear to have done diddly squat for the islanders over the past few years…? Correct me if I am wrong. I would relish the opportunity for the discussion….?

Conversely, though, and just before some of you stab frantically at the keyboard in response, risking cuticle damage and apoplexy, I don’t think that the anonymous mailout late last year was an answer either. It read like a Winston Peters election pledge: Long winded, conveniently omitting all of the pertinent information, unprovoked personal attacks, absolutely off the mark and pointless, and all delivered from the anonymous safety of an old womans knickers. What a rabid crock of ……….

Anyway,….. I digress……

Getting back to the conversation at hand: Population demise.

Another contributing factor is the perception that it isnt a nice place to live in, and certainly not that best place to raise your children. Bollocks. Its great. But if it doesnt suit you… then… you’re right. Leave.

If, however it does suit you, stay. Simple. Next issue please.

No seriously, it isnt for everyone. Which is great, becasue we dont want everyone living here, because than it wouldnt be our Chatham Islands would it.

A lot of modern parents are choosing to move out to the mainland while their children attend secondary school and you have to admit, thats a positive thing to do, both for the parents and the kids involved. There is nothing more important than family.

Is there another option. Could the kids recieve secondary schooling on Rekohu? No. A big fat N.O. Well, actually, they can. The correspondence school provide services here and even pay for a registered teacher to take a class several hours per week, based at Te One School.

For some Parents, this is ok, whilst other would prefer that their children recieved socialisation as well as education by attending a mainland high school. Fair enough we say.

Could we start a high school on the Chathams then?

Well actually you could, and it could be quite a well resourced little school. You would have to mnake iut an area school, with new entrants through to Form 7, much the same as Cheviot area school, in North Canterbury, Hurunui, Karamea, Taipa area school, Murchison, in fact, there are heaps of them and they all cope. Some have as few as 70 students. We could have over 100 if everybody was into it.

The difficulty would be is that the kids are still only mixing with the same kids, but that is the same difficulty as other area schools face.

Financially, a local school would be a winner as well, and should be a very well resopurced unit, providing education for all ages as well as community education.

Anyway that the end of todays wee speech. I’ll be back. Dont forget to throw in your comments though?

Me rongo (in peace)

In response to a question from “Scott” I have to add these comments about the book ‘Manu Moriori’.

Whilst it is an exceptionally beautiful book, and full of wonderful photographs of Hokairo or more appropriately: rakau momori,  it seems to me to be yet another example of someone making use of the (cultural) intellectual property rights of an indigenous people, much the same as has happened to Moriori for the past ??? years. I also note that in the acknowledgement section towards the back of the book, no acknowledgment was given to the Hokotehi Moriori Trust, who are the offically recognised, mandated representitivres of Te Imi Moriori. I further add, that reading this book, was the first time that I have ever heard the expression “Manu Moriori” and wonder why Mr Richards would call his new book something that defies the current and historical understanding of the names of the carvings. They are rakau momori, or momori rakau, not manu moriori. That could also be interpreted as saying that historical Moriori saw themselves as ”Bird People”. I have found no reliable source to confirm that supposition.

I also note, that in Micheal King’s book: Moriori: A People Re-discovered, he states that, ” No one knows the exact nature and function of the Moriori dendroglyphs on the Kopi. The groves may have served a ritual purpose similar to that of marae….”

Get it?

No one does know!

I also am surprised by the casualness with which someone with as much (research/scientific/historical)experience as Mr Richards obviously possesses, can make the transition from supposition to fact: (I refer to his presentation that Moriori and the inhabitants of Rapanui (Easter Island) shared similar beliefs, habits and language) I quote from page 48; “The Moriori drew their motifs a bit differently, but their carvings represent exactly the same concept”.

or from page 50; “The parallels are too numerous, and too close, to be dismissed as chance”.

or from page 51: “The functions of all three seem remarkably similar”.

Now, dont get me wrong. I am not saying that there is no connection between the inhabitants of Rapanui and those early inhabitants of Rekohu, and I do agree that there are similarities in the language etc etc, but amongst the many things that spring to mind, the first is this:

A people that possessed the technology to create those giant carvings on Rapanui, and obviously travelled between islands etc, why didnt they continue carving them on Rekohu, as there is certainly plenty of good canvases there? And.. the Moriori certainly had the ability to carve stone, didnt they?

Anyway, that just me nitpicking again..

Scott: To answer your question. I liked the look of the book. I liked the photographs. I did not like the comparisons which eventually gave the impression that it was a done deal; that Moriori and Rapanui-ites shared close relations (perhaps even originating from there less than 600 years ago). I prefer to believe the M. KIng’s version that ” evidence of the final migration was from New Zealand is explicit”.

I also believe that the book should have been at least authorised by Hokotehi Moriori Trust as it would have been nice to have had a foreword in there from them, to lend it cultural credibility. Unless Mr Richards has Moriori hokopapa (lineage) this is just another example of what Micheal King calls, “manipulative, presumptuous and of little value”.

All of the resources cited were recorded after Moriori had been in “contact” (thats very “pc” eh?) with New Zealand Maori for over thirty years, diluting the truth, and infecting the Moriori mythology with their versions. Thats not very scientific is it?

Baucke, for example, who lived on Rekohu, and spoke fluent re, reo and english, initially wrote with respect of Moriori, recording customs and traditions, but later writings, 1922+ were vitriolic and full of nothing but distaste for the “inferior beings” that he saw Moriori as. This may or may not be related to his marital status at that time.

Hunt, in his Diary was recorded as being one of the last to see a Moriori do a tree carving, after the murder of his wife and child by Maori. Hunt didnt arriver on Rekohu (or Rangiauria) until 1841(ish). 6 years after the arrival of Maori.

Jefferson did her book in the 1950′s.  

I conclude by re-iterating that these taongas are the intellectual property of the Moriori People. They are not there for the intellectual self-gratification of others. The majority of those that remain, that havent been destroyed by agricultural practices, or firewood gathering, are located in one, of only two National Historic Reserves that New Zealand has. They are important culturally, spiritually, and historically for Moriori. They are also important for the cultural and historical conscience of New Zealand. It is not up to anyone else, apart from Moriori, to tell us what they represent, or to make allusions as to what they might mean, or whom they are related to.

Manu means bird!  There are carvings that depict nearly every living animal, insect or fish on Rekohu.

Hey, but these are my views only.

You asked the question.

I hope you got the answer that you wanted.

Me rongo

My usual response to the question has undergone a bit of a change after a wee bit of a rain check. I had to ask myself, why do people always ask me that question. The answer was simple. Obviously I wasnt communicating well enough for people to understand my take on the debate regarding Moriori, Rekohu, Treaty issues, Ngati Mutunga, Wharekauri, History, alienation, assimmilation, dispossession, murder, theft, and general skullduggery; not to mention the slavery, poverty, cultural and physical genocide and a whole range of other things, far too unsavoury to mention.

As far as I know, and between you and me, I’ve read quite a few bits and pieces over the past year ( and a few more years to boot) and I can quite happily say that nowhere have I read about Moriori complaining about what Te Ati Awa did to them.

What Moriori do have an issue with is not what Maori did to them in 1835 but what successive Governments and NZ society did to them since then.

I think that deep down (actually probably not that far) Moriori know and many will admit that what Maori did in 1835 was only what their (Maori) custom dictated them to do. Unfortunately for Moriori, those customs didnt quite match up to Moriori customs or beliefs.

At the end of the day, the Maori invasion of Rekohu was a deliberate planned move on the part of Te Ati Awa, and in retrospect probably done with the full knowledge of the provisional governing bodies at the time. But that was fine. That was what they did. They had just had their own butts kicked out of Taranaki, so why not head off to where the kai was plentiful and the locals didnt or wouldnt fight. It would have seemed like a bit of a holiday after the previous few years for them. In several accounts that I have read, it was a choice between conquering Rekohu or heading up to Samoa and taking the Samoans on. Its probably just as well for Te Ati Awa, that the chartered ship headed Southeast out of Port Nicholson and not to the North, because it may have been a different outcome for them. Sadly for Moriori they did.

The manner of what they did, should also not invite blame. Once again it was business as usual. These people were warrior people, not travelling vacuum cleaner salesmen. They went to Rekohu and kicked butt, because that was what they did.

Where society has (repeatedly) let Moriori down, was that there were Europeans living right there on Rekohu, amongst Moriori in some cases and all stood by and let the initial slaughter and invasion happen.

Okay, so that too might be understandable. 900 Maori warriors in full battle mode, claiming all in their path, in fact racing to beat the other tribe to the spoils. 1561 unarmed and non-combatant Moriori in some cases gracefully receiving their fate, in others, being hunted down and murdered, the remainder shepherded up like animals. I guess you could understand that initial reluctance on the part of the Europeans to interfere with what was obviously (to them) an inter-tribal dispute?

Now we get to the gnarlier parts.

But with all of the above aside… with no particluar blame attached, …. maybe an acknowledgement that.. “ok, now that wasnt very nice behaviour, but I guess that youve been living like that for a few hundred years or more, and fighting is what you do, and you guys, well you should have put up a bit more of a struggle, cos ya know you could have had em” 

With all that aside, how did the rest of the “civilised” (and I use that sparingly) country of New Zealand manage to sit aside and then allow the hundred and fifty plus years of racism and intolerance, slavery, assimmilation and genocide to occur. Some might say, “well we didnt know”.

Bollocks.

Moriori were not and are not the inferior intellect that many early ethnologists explained them as, thereby justifying the fact that white New Zealand condoned Maori  keeping them as slaves and concubines and holding their lives in their hands and often taking their lives. This was after slavery was abolished in New Zealand. And by the way for those of you who dont know where Rekohu is: it is actually a part of New Zealand and lies to the South east of Christchurch. It’s actually been a part of NZ since 1842. Slavery wasnt eliminated there until 1863, even though the Treaty, that wonderful “founding” document of this great racially inclusive nation of ours, sort of spells out that the  natives shouldnt be slaves.

Oh yes, but Moriori are not covered by the treaty are they? They didnt sign it, they couldnt have, they were busy running around after their Maori masters, so how could they have signed the Treaty?

They didnt, but it was well done of you to ask the question. Neither did a whole heap of mainland Maori tribes sign the Treaty.

The answer is in the wording of the Treaty. Have a look and see how many times you can find reference to the Treaty being just about Maori. From memory, I think you will find that the treaty is a deal between the crown and the natives and chiefs of New Zealand, and as Rekohu was included in NZ in 1842, and Moriori were and still are the “natives” (tchakat henu actually)of those sunny isles, ergo they must be covered by the good old Treaty of Waitangi, which ironically enough is the comon use name of the main township on Rekohu, although it is a Maori name and the original Moriori name is Waiteke, but placenames are another story.

So here is a quite good sized chunk of New Zealand citizens, in abject slavery, many murdered, many eaten, all forbidden to congregate, marry each other, have children, own land, total slavery, and everybody sat back and watched.

The Government even actively participated in the genocide some 35 years later by allowing a land court sitting to strip away the land through the courts thereby reinforcing and legitimising everything that had happened.

None of these actions were in the cultural vocabulary of Moriori. Moriori had a peaceful philosophy and had done for hundreds of years. Moriori had abolished warfare, even though they came from a volatile homeland (reportedly about the same time as Maori came to New Zealand) and lived in harmony with the environment and each other. So when the Maori arrived and the Moriori helped them recover from their sea voyage and the Maori subsequently turned on them, younger Moriori wanted to fight, but their own beliefs, developed over hundreds of years forbade them from retaliating, so they didnt.

I wonder if Mahatma Ghandi or Mandela knew about Nunuku’s law?

So whilst murder and warfare were in the cultural vocabulary of both the Maori and the colonial powers, they were unknown to Moriori.

Repeated written pleadings to the Governor fell on deaf ears. Scientific studies, both ethnographical and botannical mention Moriori and their plight, all published, but yet no-one in authority did anything to help. Slaves were removed from Rekohu and transported to the bleak and inhospitable  Auckland Islands as part of a doomed experiment in Maori expansionism, watched over by colonial expansionism. Many of these Moriori were never returned to Rekohu, with most ending up on Rakiura (Stewart Island).

There is simply no excuse for historically saying “we didnt know”.

Nowhere in todays schools are we taught anything about this fascinating part of New Zealands early history, although previous mention of Moriori by offical publications also helped perpetuate the myth that Moriori were an inferior and “indolent” race if they actually ever existed. Speaking of myths, that has been one of the most effective methods employed to destabilise the history and culture of Moriori and foil any attempts by the Moriori people to reassert themselves as a people.

Myth: Moriori never existed.

Answer: wow. One wonders then, who was living on Rekohu in 1791 when the Brig Chatham arrived, because they sure werent “Maoris” (in the strictest sense of the word)and they had a different dialect, appearance, culture, traditions, art, and no contact with mainland NZ and they had been there for many hundrds of years.

Myth: Moriori were invented by the colonial government to legitimise colonisation of NZ

Answer: Wow. So because Maori conquered Moriori, that made it alright for the pakeha to conquer Maori. Bollocks, that may be a percieved position to take in a  debate but it really is bollocks.

Myth: There are no Moriori

Answer: Wow. Wrong again! The last full-blooded Moriori was recorded as dying in 1933. Now some will argue even that point, but whatever the accuracy of that statement, and I have seen no evience to contradict that by the way, that gentleman had descendants. I have seen the hokopapa charts (genealogy to you white folks, or whakapapa to Maori) and guess what? There are heaps of Moriori around New Zealand and Australia (and a few further afeild than that too). The Moriori Imi (thats Iwi to Maori and I guess ‘tribe’ to you Pakeha) has quite a large congregation, which is growing  as more  and more people waken to their heritage and trace their legitimate hokopapa.

There are possibly even more to come, as Moriori were known to have travelled (stowed) away on whaling and sealing ships to all corners of the globe, many never to return.

Myth: Moriori were an inferior race of low intellect.

Answer: Wow. Bollocks. I have read this in many articles from supposedly esteemed scientific authors, and it is beyond me how such a statment can be written about a people. I can understand how you can say that about an individual, but a whole race of people? Wow! Some quantify the statement with the excuse that they must be of inferior intellect to have been conquered by a lesser number of Maori, and others base their assessment on the condition that they first saw Moriori in (post 1835). If you had just witnessed the murder and cannabilisation of family members, been imprisoned, beaten, deprived of ALL of your basic human rights, you probably wouldnt be feeling too flash either. Certainly not up to a game of chess with an arrogant ethnologist trying to establish your mental accuity.

Myth: Moriori are just another Maori tribe trying to get in on the “Treaty” windfall

Answer: Wow. Actually, if you take the time to read the Waitangi Tribunal’s report on Rekohu (Moriori and Ngati Mutunga) you might (as I was) be impressed by the way in which the above myths were dealt with. Where I (personally) think that they got it a wee bit wrong, was over this particular myth, but that might have been a legal way to permit them to handle Moriori claims. I guess if they had said that Moriori were not Maori (note the use of the capital as opposed to maori) then some bright spark would have challenged them through the courts. Anyway getting back to the myth at hand:

Acccording to the Waitangi Tribunal and others throughout the years, Moriori originated from the same place as Maori (Hawaiiki, which may be Tonga, Fiji,Hawaii,Rarotonga Easter Island, actually anywhere in polynesia) (but generations earlier) and left the mainland (NZ) about the same time as Maori arrived there.

Maori from Hawaiiki (and lets just pretend for the sake of argument that Hawaiiki is really Tonga) came to NZ and settled here and through that settlement and their occupation in relative isolation from their homeland they became Maori (rather than just Tongans living abroad).

At the time that they arrived, the Moriori  headed out for Rekohu, settling there in complete isolation, developing their own culture and beliefs. Yet the Waitangi tribunal, identified that Maori (mainland) are not simply “Tongans” (for example) but have developed ther own identity and have become Maori, a seperate race. Yet the Moriori who have lived in isolation for the same amount of time are identified by the Waitangi Tribunal as Maori, or at least a tribe of Maori.

Surely they deserve the same distinction of a seperate race, otherwise Maori cant be Maori either? Its all very confusing really.

The Waitangi Tribunal got it right though when they said that Moriori really were the indigenous people or Tchakat Henu of Rekohu. They also said that through occupation of 170 odd years, that Ngati Mutunga were also Tangata Whenua.

Today, Moriori are still being marginalised and discriminated against and denied their status as a unique people and original inhabitants of Rekohu. The majority of place names in common use around the island are either Pakeha or Maori, Moriori do not have the opportunities that Maori have with regard to identity in offical documents, instead being relegated to filling out the “other” category, and Moriori re (reo) which was recorded in the mid 1800′s is not an official language of New Zealand, yet it surely predates Maori Reo, even if only a dialect and not a seperate language.

Moriori recieve no recognition in offical publications in our schools, and our teachers are under no obligation to mention even the existence of Moriori in the classrooms of this great inclusive nation of ours. Some school atlases do not even have Rekohu in them.

This is the United Nations Decade of Indigenous people, with the purpose of drawing Native people into decision making, participation and opportunities for acceptance alongside mainstream culture. A seperate and unique people living among the rest.

Moriori are emerging as a people from under the clouds of obscurity and suffering that were heaped upon them, but mainly under their own power and through a peaceful insistence that they be recognised as a people and through playing the game that a colonised society forces them to learn. Justice through the Courts and appeals to Governments have historically fallen on deaf ears. Lately (decades)though with a more sympathetic approach to Maori from Government, Moriori have repeatedly taken a legal position and used the Treaty to its full effect to at least claw back some of which they were deprived of. They will never be given back anywhere near enough of the 97% of the Islands which were stolen  through the land court sittings back in the 1870′s, but with appropriate redress they will make a point and hopefully our own Government of today and tomorrow will listen and acknowledge Moriori as a seperate people, who just happen to be Tchakat Henu of Rekohu. Perhaps even Government Departments might even include reference to Moriori in their publications, as they do to Maori. One day we may even see mention of Moriori in the forewords of all education pubications as we do with Maori.

Who knows; maybe  a Moriori member of Parliament, or how about a guaranteed Moriori Seat in the House of Representatives. Why not? Maori get a few.

This debate is not about what Maori get, versus what Moriori dont though. Its about justice and redress and fixing the wrongs and ultimately about including Moriori in our society and stop marginalising them. As the late David Lange said: “Moriori are a people. They exist. They will not go away”. Recognise it. Embrace the peaceful philosophies of one of our indigenous peoples.

The ironic, impressive and (for me) overwhelming thing about the whole issue is the way in which Moriori have dealt with the continued oppression: no jumping up and down, no protests, no hikoi’s no threats, no violence or terrorism:

just …..

Peace, pride, determination and as I have come to realise of late; mana! 

Me rongo (In peace)

The Moriori people are infamous for their peaceful history and Nunuku’s ‘covenant of peace’ which was a law brought forth by the chief Nunuku hundreds of years ago.

Moriori hokopapa or genealogy goes back hundreds of years and through many generations. During this period Moriori transformed from  fierce and capable warriors, to a non-combatant people living in harmony with each other and the environment on Rekohu. This existence was uninterrupted until  1791 when Europeans ‘re-discovered’ the islands, beginning a series of events that would result in the destruction of many of the resources that Moriori had carefully marshalled for generation after generation. Ultimately, in only 142 years, it was to lead to the believed extinction of a whole ‘race’ of people. In 1933 the last known full-blooded Moriori, Tame Horomona Rehe, more commonly known as Tommy Solomon, passed away.

The covenant of peace, or Nunuku’s Law is forming the core of a Moriori renaissance on Rekohu as descendents of Tommy Solomon and other Moriori are rekindling the candle of peace. The construction of Kopinga Marae (meeting house) has been a huge step on the path to revitalising the Morori people and taking their rightful place in Chatham Island and New Zealand history, society and culture.

Visitors to the islands are always amazed by the opportunities to see and study Moriori history and culture, presumably because they think that Moriori are extinct.

Moriori are Moriori and they are a living people.

Pitt island also has some pretty awesome scenery. Check out these two pages ( Pitt1, Pitt2) for some fantastic photgraphs of Pitt Island and then contact education-resources.co.nz for details on how and where to stay on the Chathams and Pitt Island.

For the best in visitor experiences to Rekohu, try the Rekohu Experience. Contact Chatham Lodge for a quote on your next package holiday deal. You might be pleasantly surprised.

“Experience Rekohu with the Rekohu Experience.”

Chatham Lodge is the number one tourist destination on Rekohu and is the venue that best suits the discerning traveller.

Chatham Lodge was purchased in 2007 by Hokotehi Moriori Trust from John and Denise Sutherland. John and Denise created Chatham Lodge during the 1980′s and slowly and carefully built the business up, maintaining a high standard of quality and service.

Joan has been at the helm for nearly a year and has already began to build up quite a regular clientelle of her own, offering great dining, great company and a great location.

Chatham Lodge has a range of accommodation packages available including adventure packages and day trips to nearby Pitt Island.

Check out the Chatham Lodge website for your next weekend away, or week fishing, diving, tramping, sight seeing or just relaxing and unwinding in the peaceful surroundings at Chatham Lodge, New Zealands best kept secret.  There are also a number of photo galleries where you can preview some of the amazing scenery and activities available for you on Rekohu while you stay at Chatham Lodge.

Come and experience Rekohu with the Rekohu Experience

Hokotehi are the legally mandated body that represent Moriori in their dealings with the crown and among their many responsibilities, are responsible for ensuring that the cultural renaissance of Moriori continues. 

Moriori are engaged in a vigorous cultural revival which began with a New Zealand television documentary in 1980. In dispelling some long-held myths, it raised the consciousness of many Moriori descendants. Among the fallacies laid to rest were;

·         that the Moriori were a separate race, distinct from Polynesians,

·         and that they had died out completely.

It triggered a wave of activity that began in 1985 with the raising of a statue on Rēkohu of Tommy Solomon, the last full-blooded Moriori.

In 2005 the Kopinga Marae was opened by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, giving offical recognition to Moriori as a people and as the original inhabitants of the islands. 

 Hokotehi have worked to increase  the asset base for Moriori and have completed purchases of Kaingaroa farm, Henga Farm, Chatham Lodge and have a joint venture intitiative going with Ngai Tahu at Whangaroa Seafoods.

One of the exciting prospects for Moriori is the development of the “Rekohu Experience”, incorporating a range of unit plans and activities for educators to teach, and school camps opportunities, using Kopinga marae as the base for school groups from around the world.

Chatham Lodge also offers the opportunity for unique cultural tours building on the close relationship between hosting at the Lodge and at the Marae.

Click on the following links to check out the website of Education Resources, which has been built by Kopi Holdings Ltd to highlight these opportunities.

What, for example did people have to gain from discrediting the very existence of Moriori, in the past and still, today?

What purpose is there in twisting the semantics, misrepresenting the positions of others, and accusing others of falsehoods. The reality is that Moriori ARE Moriori.

“Moriori exist, therefore; they are!

Moriori, quite clearly, are the Tchakat Henu of Rekohu. There is nothing else.

That is the end of my comments on that. For further debate, find a different forum, but I can recommend the Waitangi Tribunal, or the courts.

Although I note in my comments that I do not indulge in censorship. I do intend to exercise my editorial right from now on, to show respect for all, by refusing to accommodate comments that are designed to disrespect or to entertain debate, on any topic.

This blog represents my readings and views on the history. Those that do not like my views, or disagree with them should take the opportunity to tell me, by emailing me here.

Any comments for display should also be sent here, although there re absolutely NO guarantees of inclusion.

Me Rongo (In peace)