July 11, 2021
Rangiriri Trenches to bring home Waikato story
Work has started restoring the trenches at Rangiriri Pā to give visitors a better idea of how Waikato tried to defend itself from invasion.
Spokesperson Brad Totorewa says the iwi has hosted school tours and reenactments on the site since buying it back, and the project will enhance that work.
"98 per cent of Waikato don't know the story of what happened there. They've relied on books by non-Māori that tell only one side of the story. When you look at the building of the trenches, what we are doing is giving a voice to those who gave their lives for us and understand the connection of that voice and why we exist as Waikato," he says.
Brad Totorewa says the restored trenches will be opened on November 20, the anniversary of the invasion in 1863.
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