A dawn gathering next Wednesday, November 5, at the Rongo Stone in Portsmouth Dr will mark 144 years since government troops and militia invaded the Taranaki settlement of Parihaka.
The commemoration service, co-ordinated by the Dunedin Methodist Parish, aims to uphold the legacy of prophets and parihaka founders Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi.
It will also acknowledge the connection between Taranaki and Ōtepoti Dunedin, where 137 Taranaki men were sent as prisoners after resisting land confiscations.
Next Wednesday’s dawn ceremony will run from 7am-7.30am at the Rongo Stone, and will have a kaupapa of remembrance and reflection, not protest.
As a symbol of peace, a raukura mā (white feather) will be handed to everyone as they leave.
A koha will be taken and presented to Dunedin Night Shelter. — Allied Media
