Talking about the local wars

TALKING ABOUT HISTORY: Historian Vincent O’Malley (centre) visited Gisborne Girls’ High School to talk about the need to include the New Zealand wars in the curriculum. Students and visitors who heard his address included (from left) Holly Hope, Kate Plummer, Harriette Kemp, Haylee Law, kaumatua Charlie Pera, Francis Moon and Kiara Hailey. Picture by Paul Rickard

Inclusion of the New Zealand wars in the school curriculum is a theme of historian Vincent O’Malley’s talks at schools around the country, including Gisborne Girls’ High.

Dr O’Malley has focused largely on the Waikato wars, which he describes as the great war of New Zealand.

The New Zealand wars had a more profound influence in this country than World War 1, often referred to as The Great War, he said. His view was the New Zealand wars were a more defining moment in this country’s history than Gallipoli, or the World War 1 battles on the Western Front.

At Girl’s High he focused on “local wars”, the battles, confiscations and massacres around Waerenga-a-Hika, Matawhero and Ngatapa.

“This area was transformed more by Waerenga-a-Hika than The Great War we are taught about in school,” he said.

In 1865, a pa at Waerenga-a-Hika was besieged by a 600-strong force of colonial troops and Ngati Porou led by Rapata Wahawaha.

Young people were receptive to events that shaped New Zealand history, said Dr O’Malley.

“They get why history matters to them. They understand New Zealand needs to embrace the difficult parts of our history.”

This included the New Zealand wars, he said.

“A lot of young people I speak to don’t understand why adults have a problem with it.”

He cited Otorohanga students who presented a petition to the Maori King that called for the history of the New Zealand wars to be taught in schools and for a day to mark the wars.

Before 1840, Maori were in complete control of their own affairs, he said.

“Those conflicts, that’s a period when this all changed.”

Told The Gisborne Herald had agreed to not use the term ‘‘massacre” in stories about Te Kooti’s revenge killing of people at Matawhero, Dr O’Malley said “massacre” was a charged word.

Asked if it was not an appropriate word for a mass killing, no matter the circumstances, he said, “if you going to use it for what happened at Matawhero, you have to use for what happened at Ngatapa.”

A siege led by Colonel George Whitmore on Ngatapa Pa in 1868 resulted in the killing of 136 people.

Whitmore’s quarry, Te Kooti, escaped.

“I prefer not to use the term,” said Dr O’Malley.

“We need to talk about this non-emotionally.”

Asked if the wrongs of the mid-1800s were visited on Lieutenant James Cook to the point of demonisation of the explorer, Dr O’Malley said people would draw connections between the 1800s and Cook.

He had gone against the British Admiralty’s instructions (“to show every kind of civility and regard to the natives”) and was trigger-happy, said Dr O’Malley.

• Dr O’Malley is the author of The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000.