Consequences

Reproduced from Taranaki Daily News, 28 June 2002

New interest in history of Parihaka

By JULIET SMITH

Parihaka is facing a resurgence of interest says historian Hazel Riseborough, who wrote a book about its history.

She was visiting Parihaka yesterday to celebrate the release of a revised edition of Days of Darkness, Taranaki 1878-84.

Colonial troops invaded Parihaka in 1881, where Maori were engaged in passive resistance against the confiscation of their lands.

The men of Parihaka were imprisoned, including leaders Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi, and the settlement was looted and destroyed in the following weeks.

Dr Riseborough said Parihaka history had previously been treated by historians with disdain or contempt, aside from Dick Scott's book, Ask That Mountain.

"Attitudes meant Parihaka has been sidelined."

"People didn't know or want to know about it."

But timing was right for a revised edition of her book, which had been out of print for 10 years, she said.

"Race awareness is throughout the country and there is certainly a raised awareness of what happened at Parihaka."

Massey University history lecturer Danny Keenan encouraged her to get the book, which was difficult to get hold of, back in print.

Dr Riseborough was at Parihaka at the centenary of the invasion of Parihaka in 1981 as a research assistant to professor Ngatata Love.

"You could sense the grievance that history books had consigned to the darkness," she said.

That prompted her to write the history on the government's role in storming Parihaka and the Taranaki land confiscations as a doctorate thesis, which became the book.

Dr Riseborough used public Crown documents and looked at various legislation at what enabled the lands to be confiscated which, to this day, are in perpetual leases.

During her research the law changed to allow historic grievances to be heard by the Crown. Her work was used to help the Taranaki claim.

She said people these days were more aware of general New Zealand history.

"I used to say of my students if I could raise their awareness I would have done something. That's what it's about. It's knowing our history and what has been done about it."

Dr Riseborough worked for the Waitangi Tribunal and has worked with several Taranaki iwi including Ngati Tama and Te Atiawa to research their histories.

She was also at Parihaka as part of a history hui with Dr Keenan and students from the Parihaka marae-based learning course, part of Otaki's Maori tertiary institution Te Wananga o Raukawa.