Written by Cynthia Piper At 9 am on 21 February, the Pompallier bell rang out over lush Waipa farmland. It called the descendants of Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Hinetū, representatives from the Catholic and Anglican Churches, school children, local body, and government officials, to gather in prayer and commemorate the invasion of the peaceful village of Rangiaowhia in 1864. Rangiaowhia, situated between Cambridge and Te Awamutu, has a special place in the history of both the Anglican and Catholic communities of the Waikato. The centre of the Waikato Catholic mission from 1844 until 21 February 1864, Rangiaowhia was a thriving and prosperous village of over 5000 people. From Rangiaowhia, Ngāti Apakura and Ngāti Hinetū provided the Auckland and Australian
markets with fresh produce, wheat, and flour from four mills in the area. Māori and Pākehā lived side by side, sharing languages, trade, education, and religion. Rangiaowhia was an indication of what the future of Aotearoa New Zealand might have been like. It ‘was a source of Māori pride and European envy,’ but it was ‘coveted by Auckland’s merchants and settlers alike.’ In February 1864, the village paid the ultimate price of its success when it was invaded by the Crown, determined to destroy the Kingitanga movement. At dawn on 21 February, over 1000 troops and cavalry attacked the village. Many people were killed, including some who sheltered in a whare karakia (raupo church), which was set on fire by the soldiers. Others were taken prisoner. Those who survived the attack fled, and the land confiscated by the Crown.
The 2020 commemoration began at dawn with karakia (prayer) led by kaūmatua Tom Roa (Ngāti Apakura), overlooking a paddock where women and children died in the burning church. Roa asked the people to keep the women and children as the focus of the day and called on all to meet in ‘a spirit of reconciliation, a spirit of remembrance, that [Rangiaowhia] was a place that was starting to realise the potential, the promise of the Treaty of Waitangi.’ As a result of the invasion, Ngāti Apakura and Ngāti Hinetū have no home. They have marae, but on land gifted by Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Hikairo, and Ngāti Tuwharetoa. Roa hoped that when redress for the invasion happens, descendants will be able to rebuild a home to which they can whakapapa - ‘it will be our cradle.’ Following a liturgy of remembrance led by Bishop Steve Lowe, school students
Leo Wilkinson I BSc, ANZIQS, MACostE Director 027 255 0553 Cost Management l Project Management l Project Planning l Asset Management Plans We also facilitate seismic assessments, fire compliance reviews, building condition assessments and asbestos surveys
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Images: Bottom left - Bishop Steve w/ St Patrick’s Catholic School, Te Awamutu students; Top - Bishop Steve w/ St John’s College, Hamilton students and DRS Marcel Bormans. Used with Permission.
RANGIAOWHIA COMMEMORATION
