A road made and named after prisoners who worked in Dunedin. More than a century ago, nearly 100 Māori men were punished for defending their land rights in Taranaki and sent to Dunedin for hard labour. Some men never made it home. Hamish McNeilly reports. Two groups of Māori men: one who took up arms, and the other who protested peacefully. All wanted the return of their ancestral land, and all received the same sentence. Hard labour. The labour of those Taranaki prisoners: 74 from Pakakohi in 1869 and a decade later 91 from Parihaka, is visible around Dunedin. There is Māori Rd, carved between two city hill suburbs and named after the prisoners, other main arterial roads, and land reclamation.
Tai Moana Tai Tangata is not a show to entertain or amuse. It encourages the viewer to stop, think and reflect on our region’s history, and from Graham’s perspective, learn something too. I was born and raised in Waitara, where I once unwittingly walked streets named McLean, Parris, Cracroft and Browne, unaware they recognised men who had a direct role in the land confiscation and subsequent conflict which shaped the town and caused an enduring mamae (hurt) for tangata whenua. There was a time I never knew Te Kohia Pā existed, or where the Pekapeka block was, nevermind the history of Parihaka and messages of peace promoted by prophets Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi.