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Programme introduced by Merata Mita.
“Tena ano koutou katoa, i roto i a tatou aitua maha”
“Once again we travel the road of the eternal night with a Poroporoaki, a farewell to Rangi Metekingi from Whanganui who died last week.”
“He Poroporoaki” - in te reo Maori.
0:02:51 “Merata Mita - He roimata ua, he roimata tangata. One of the least known episodes in our history is the story of Te Whiti-o- Rongomai and the sacking of his village at Parihaka in Taranaki.”
On the 5th November 1881 the village of Parihaka was sacked and burnt to the ground. Religious leader Te Whiti-o-Rongomai was born in 1831, a descendant of tohunga and rangatira , and educated at Riemenschneider Missionary School. He was an avid bible student. After the destruction of his Taranaki village in 1865 he established his headquarters in Parihaka on the seaward slopes of Maunga Taranaki and formulated a policy of peaceful resistance. The three white albatross feathers became the symbol of Parihaka. Glory to God on high, peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind was his message. He combined old time Maori traditional oratory with the language of the bible. Maori from all over the country converged on Parihaka to hear his message. His political and spiritual message was conveyed in poi dances which are now being revived by the Taranaki people.
Kuia from Parihaka speak (in Maori) with Aunty Marge about the importance of retaining and upholding Te Whiti’s ideals of peace in today’s times of violence and social unrest.
“Now it’s back to the basics with everything you need to know about voting.” Merata and returning officer Steve McDonald explain how to cast a vote.