Season 2 Ep 7: Moriori

11:44 am on 25 October 2022
William Ray, Podcasts and Series Producer

Moirori history has often been twisted out of shape over the years, much like some of the trees on Rēkohu bending in the strong winds. The stories of these remote islands and the people who made their home there go back centuries, but they've been misunderstood and misinterpreted for nearly as long.

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Moriori are not the first people of New Zealand, they weren't forced out by Maori and they aren't extinct. In fact, we've worked closely with the Hokotehi Moriori Trust on this episode, drawing on their oral traditions as well as our own thorough, independent research.

What emerges is a story that challenges what many New Zealanders have been told and leaves some hard questions. But at its centre is a centuries-long commitment to peace and non-violence that has had a profound influence far beyond Rēkohu's wild shores.    

In this episode we try to set things straight by explaining:

  • How Moriori first arrived in Rēkohu.

  • How Moriori adapted to the harsh conditions of their home. 

  • The development of Nunuku’s law of peace.

  • Some details of Moriori life, culture, and religion.

  • The first arrival of European explorers.

  • The impact of European sealing gangs.

  • The invasion of Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama in 1835.

  • The killing and enslavement of Moriori by these iwi

  • How New Zealand colonial authorities responded (or failed to respond) to the enslavement of Moriori.

  • The efforts of Hirawanu Tapu and others to reclaim Moriori land, and preserve Moriori history and culture. 

  • The impact of Moriori philosophy on the pacifist Parihaka movement.

  • The origins of myths of Moriori as the “first” people of Aotearoa, and why they became popular.

  • The modern revival of Moriori culture.

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