Let's wave the flag for our 'peace heroes'

We celebrate our war heroes but much less honour our peace activists. Raymond Huber argues we need to better recognise those who struggle against war.

Tomorrow is the United Nations' International Day of Peace - time to remember New Zealanders who stood up for peace when the rest of the country was at war.

We honour our war heroes such as Willie Apiata and Charles Upham, but how many have heard of Ormond Burton, Archie Baxter or Te Whiti? New Zealand has an inspiring history of pacifists, conscientious objectors and peace protestors who showed great courage and perseverance in their struggle against war.

Te Whiti-o-Rongomai was a kind of Gandhi figure during the New Zealand Wars of the 1800s.

He became convinced that no good thing has ever been wrought by force.

He helped establish the village Parihaka and many people were drawn to it as a symbol of peace in the 1870s.

Te Whiti taught that people should resist the European land-grab but only with non-violent actions.

When the Government confiscated land in Taranaki, Te Whiti's people pulled up survey pegs, ploughed the stolen land and blocked roads.

Hundreds of protestors were arrested and kept in prison without trial.

In 1881, 1600 armed troops marched into Parihaka where 2000 unarmed Maori sat in silent protest.

Parihaka was destroyed and Te Whiti imprisoned.

His example continued to inspire peaceful protests for more than a century, leading at last to the Waitangi Tribunal.

Archie Baxter (father of James K.) was strongly pacifist when World War 1 began.

When he refused to join the army he was paraded at gunpoint down the main street in Dunedin.

He spent months in prison doing hard labour and was eventually shipped to the war front in France.

Baxter wrote, "I believe if enough people in each country stood straight out against war, the governments would pause and be compelled to settle their disputes by other means."

The army was worried that his anti-war beliefs would spread, so officers tried to convert Baxter by starving him, beating him, tying him to a post, and exposing him to shell-fire.

"It's your submission we want, Baxter, not your service," said one officer.

During his ordeal Baxter received support from many ordinary soldiers who admired his courage in sticking to his convictions.

He witnessed the slaughter of many of young Kiwi men and later wrote about it in his memoir We Will Not Cease.

Ormond Burton went from hero to zero when he became a pacifist after the 1914-18 war.

He served in Gallipoli and France and was awarded two medals for bravery.