March 16, 2018
War and peace for Taranaki remembrance
Nga iwi o Taranaki are this weekend marking the anniversary of the first shots fired in the Taranaki Wars.
Te Kahui o Taranaki general manager and Te Kahui o Te Atiawa trustee Wharehoka Wano says Riri me te Raukura organiser Hone Eriwata and his team have out together a four day programme which puts across the region’s unique perspective on war and peace.
As well as a dawn ceremony at Te Kohia, which was attacked of March 17, 1860, there will be visit to battle sites at Puketakauere and Te Arei and the opportunity to participate in the monthly days of remembrance at Parihaka.
"It is an important weekend and we acknowledge all of those pakanga that have happened around the motu. For Taranaki iwi it is also about reconciliation and where Te Whiti and Tohe took us in terms of acknowledging there are other ways to deal with conflict and that was where the raukura, that whole element around passive resistance came into play," Mr Wano says.
Taranaki is also busy this weekend hosting its 14th WOMAD World of Music and Dance festival at the Bowl of Brooklands.
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