Latest fromTaranaki

Parihaka, Taranaki, New Zealand
Travel

Parihaka, Taranaki, New Zealand

This settlement near Mt Taranaki was once one of the largest Maori villages in New Zealand, but on November 5, 1881, Government troops invaded in a final attempt to break up the community so the land could be confiscated and surveyed. The troops arrived with cannons but were met with only passive resistance, including children singing and offering food. Parihaka's chiefs, Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi, were arrested and the village was destroyed. Today, some of the descendants of those who lived at Parihaka in the 1800s are attempting to make the community self-sufficient once more.