Tides of Endurance: Indigenous Peace Traditions of Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This article uses the concept of Ngā Tai Matatū (Tides of Māori Endurance) developed by Mason Durie, a leading Māori scholar, to consider three indigenous communities of Aotearoa New Zealand that have demonstrated endurance and resilience in maintaining their unique peace traditions in the face of opposition from both Western and Māori cultures of violence. The Moriori of Rēkohu off the New Zealand coast (known as the Chatham Islands in English and Wharekauri in Māori) have a peace tradition that dates back more than six hundred years. The Waitaha people of New Zealand's South Island (Te Wāi Pounamu) had no weapons of war recorded in the their historical memory nor among their ancient artefacts. The Parihaka community in the Taranaki region in the North Island Te Ika o Maui was established in the nineteenth century explicitly around nonviolent principles. All three peace traditions are currently being resurrected by descendants of the original peacemakers.