The 175th commemorations
for the Battle of Ruapekapeka Pā commenced today
marking one of NZ's armed conflicts where 400 Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Hine
stood their ground against
a combined British colonial invasion force
of over 1600 trained armed soldiers,
troops and seamen.
Moana Makapelu-Lee was there.
Ruapekapeka.
Once a battleground between two peoples,
today they came together in peace.
If we talk about the connection
between te ao maori and foreigners and their living together as one,
it began here in this part of the country.
So there is a lot of history that took place here.
Battle cries filled the valley
as descendants remembered the 20 fallen tūpuna
and a memorial stone
unveiled for the 12 British troops who lost their lives here.
With these stories,
it's important to me that they are known
throughout Aotearoa as well as here in Ngāpuhi,
of the North,
and the same goes for the wars
that took place in Taranaki and Waikato.
The Battle of Ruapekapeka
marks the last series of clashes
that would be known as the Northern Wars,
after Crown attempts to capture rangatira Te Ruki Kawiti.
He fought to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi.
So they know how things went,
how they really went down,
the true history of Ruapekapeka which hasn’t been told.
You hear some say this happened at Ruapekapeka,
I hear that and think “far out” that story is wrong.
You hear some speak,
and they speak falsely.
The descendants now look forward
to the history of Ruapekapeka being taught in schools.
If it's our history they should come to me.
Come to me and I will write the history myself,
don’t leave it to anyone else.
Because sometimes the stories change and they're incorrect.
Those stories aren't the right stories of Ruapkeapeka
and our ancestors.
Our desire for each hapū and iwi
is that they teach their own history,
so it's not a one-size-fits-all approach in schools.
We want each hapū and iwi to teach their own history,
their own histories in the schools within their regions.
Moana Makapelu-Lee, Te Karere.