PARIHAKA
CITY GALLERY WELLINGTON
26 AUGUST 2000 – 19 JANUARY 2001
ADMISSION FREE
PUBLIC PROGRAMME, PARIHAKA EXHIBITION
As at 10/8/00
Saturday 26 August, 2pm
Parihaka - Introductory talk
This lecture will open with a körero by Mahara Okeroa - MP for Te Tai Tonga/Parihaka Pä Trustee, and Parihaka
spokesperson Te Miringa Hohaia. Lecturer Mereana Hond will speak on behalf of the women of Parihaka and will introduce
Dr Hazel Riseborough, author of Days of Darkness: Taranaki 1878-1884 and Parihaka and the Historians.
Parihaka in Focus
The Parihaka story goes back over 130 years. For Mäori, especially Taranaki Mäori, it has always been in sharp focus,
but for many people the picture has been blurred. A clearer understanding of the story will provide a useful background
from which to view the art and poetry of the exhibition. Dr Hazel Riseborough
Sunday 27 August, 1pm
Words to the Mountain
Leading New Zealand poets read newly commissioned works and others relating to Parihaka, land and identity - JC Sturm,
Elizabeth Smither, Roma Potiki, Rore Hapipi, Robert Sullivan, Ian Wedde, Chris Orsman, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Dinah
Hawken, Apirana Taylor.
* gold coin donation
Sunday 3 September, 3pm
Ask That Mountain
Author of the ground-breaking book Ask That Mountain (1975), Dick Scott became aware of Parihaka in the early 1950s. His
first book, The Parihaka Story, appeared in 1954. Dick Scott will talk with Te Miringa Hohaia and Gregory O'Brien about
how he became involved with the people of the pä and their history. The evolution of both publications, their impact and
the ongoing significance of the Parihaka story will be discussed.
Sunday 10 September, 3pm
Parihaka - Director’s Tour
Gallery Director Paula Savage takes you on a personal tour of the exhibition. She shares something of the exhibition
history and the unique journey that turned a vision into a reality. This art confronts the issues of Mäori/Päkehä
relations. By confronting and acknowledging the damage done, art has the power to heal the wounds and begin the journey
toward reconciliation. - Paula Savage
Sunday 17 September, 1pm
Taranaki Cries and Whispers
Join Greg O’Brien for a floortalk exploring the voices in Ralph Hotere’s ‘Te Whiti’ series. Texts from ancient times
until the present, in Mäori and English, are the basis for these dark, atmospheric works. In this series of ‘painted
utterances’, words are set adrift in the natural world or inscribed on the night sky. The talk will also examine the
pivotal works in relation to Hotere’s oeuvre.
Sunday 17 September, 3pm
A Spiritual Relationship
Tohu and Te Whiti were both immersed in their own culture’s wairua and fully conversant with Christian scriptures.
Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria, Paul Morris considers the religious response of Tohu and Te Whiti, comparing
this with first nations’ spirituality in other cultures.
Sunday 24 September, 3pm
Ko Taranaki Maunga anake kei te Möhio - Taranaki Saw It All
As curator of the 1973 exhibition Taranaki Saw It All, James Mack stepped into a cross-cultural role that few had
undertaken in the gallery environment of the time. In a retrospective excursion, he discusses his involvement and pays
tribute to the people of Taranaki and the artists who made the exhibition possible.
In 1972, as newly appointed Exhibitions Officer at the recently amalgamated Waikato Museum & Art Gallery, I was told to do an exhibition on Te Whiti o Rongomai and Parihaka. I had no idea who he was, neither did
I then realise the research I was about to embark on would change my life.
Sunday 1 October, 12pm
Täkiri Mai Te Raukura, Hei Oranga Mo Te Iwi
(The Raukura, a symbol of protection, worn to signify the continued strength and well-being of the people)
Women of Parihaka offer an insight into a resilience that is part of the Parihaka legacy. Discussion includes: Mäori
women and leadership; the impact of confiscation; and the way in which women have been able to pass on tribal knowledge.
The importance of traditional chant will be emphasised.
With Marj Rau-Kupa, Pare Tito and women of Parihaka
Sunday 1 October, 2pm
Ngä Waiata o Parihaka
Spend time with Te Miringa Hohaia as he focuses on the origins of waiata in Taranaki and Parihaka tradition. The more
ancient Waiata Tawhito and Poi Manu will be discussed, as well as contemporary Parihaka song and verse. The poi group Te
Puapua will join Te Miringa to support this presentation.
Saturday 7 October, 2pm
Your Past Goes Way Back
Tony Fomison’s life and work was a quest to tell the stories of the land. From an adolescence spent fossicking through
the archaeological traces of Banks' Peninsula, the public library and the museum, Fomison became one of this country’s
most significant history painters. This floortalk by City Gallery Programme Manager Lara Strongman will look at the
relationship between history and myth in Fomison’s Taranaki paintings.
Sunday 8 October, 1pm
Te Wairua, Te Möhio, Me Te Toki Haemata
Tohu Käkahi, Räua Ko Te Whiti O Rongomai
Eminent expert in Te Ao Maori, Te Huirangi Waikerepuru shares insights into the wairua, wisdom and leadership of Tohu
Käkahi and Te Whiti o Rongomai. They were born into a traditional society, unaware that it was on the threshold of
inundation by a tidal wave of European expansion and the impact of colonial domination. The 1800s and the early stages
of their lives meant that their wairua, intellect, and values were deeply rooted in Mäori mono-culture, maungärongo
(peace) and Tino Rangatiratanga (sovereignty).
Sunday 8 October, 3pm
Te Whare Wänanga o Taranaki
Ruakere Hond experienced community educator, discusses the impact that the invasion of Parihaka has had on the
traditional institutions of learning in Taranaki. He considers the needs and dreams of the people of Parihaka today.
Sunday 15 October, 1pm
Two Plays, One Story
Poet, playwright, and performer Brian Potiki recalls directing Te Raukura, The Feathers of the Albatross - a play by
Harry Dansey, in the mid-1970s. He and former cast members share insights into Dansey’s work examining events at
Parihaka. Composer and music critic William Dart talks about his collaboration with
Mervyn Thompson to produce the Song-play Songs to the Judges. Judges was first performed in 1980 and immediately
provoked strong reaction with its blend of declamatory and provocative songs examining Mäori attitudes to land,
confiscation and New Zealand law. Toi Whakäri students under the direction of Sally Barratt-Boyes and Simone Lourie give
a short, directed reading from Te Raukura and perform excerpts from Songs to the Judges.
Saturday 21 October, 2pm
Film event & introduction on Bastion Point [to be confirmed]
Sunday 22 October, 3pm
‘An Ornament for the Päkehä’: The Parihaka Triptych
A signpost in the artist’s metaphorical journey and a landmark in New Zealand painting, Colin McCahon’s sublime Parihaka
Triptych belongs with a remarkable group of paintings inspired by Mäori messianic movements of the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. Eminent art historian, curator and writer Jonathan Mane-Wheoki will discuss the genesis of this
‘deeply respectful, pioneeringly bicultural’ work. With the inscription ‘I Te Whiti to people throughout the world and
to the people of Parihaka’, McCahon depicted a ‘regional proponent of passive resistance’ as an international figure.
Sunday 5 November, 1 pm
Art History of Parihaka
The work of many contemporary artists has been influenced by the story of Parihaka. While some artists have a personal
connection to the place, others have purposefully made a place for Parihaka in their work. Art historian Dr Deidre Brown
will look at the different 'ways of seeing' Parihaka, its people, and its events, as presented in recent art,
architecture, design and non-fiction writing. [artists to be confirmed]
Sunday 5 November, 3 pm
Artists in Conversation with Jonathan Mane-Wheoki and Roma Potiki
Traditions grow and evolve, with artists often interpreting key events, ideas and proposing possible futures. Artists
whose works are included in the exhibition discuss their response to Parihaka, and consider their engagement with
political and cultural issues. A debate on some of the key issues for contemporary Maori art.
Saturday 11 November, 1-4pm
Supporting the Kaupapa
Concert for Parihaka, Civic Square
Sounds of the conscious will echo - from reggae rhythms to Hip-Hop beats some of Aotearoa’s finest come together
inspired by the story of Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Käkahi, with rhymes and song. Music is power and unity is
strength.
Nau mai Haere mai - All welcome - Free
Kaiarahi - Guides from Parihaka
On various weekends over the period of the exhibition young people from Parihaka will relate their personal experiences
and share their responses to the artworks. They will give floortalks, as well as talk with the public more informally.
Weekend Public Tours – 2pm
Gallery guides conduct public tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. They focus on key artworks in the exhibition,
discussing the connections between Parihaka, the art and artists. Tours last approximately 40 minutes.
Daily Video Screenings - Te Whiti & Tohu - Pounamu series TVNZ 1990
Screenings courtesy of the New Zealand Television Archive
Daily screenings in the City Cinema at the Gallery - 11am, 1pm, 3pm (1hr)
Except when other events in cinema - check with gallery on (04) 801 4153
Using historical images and dramatic reenactments the video relates the story of Parihaka and the passive resistance
movement led by Tohu and Te Whiti. It includes footage of present day Parihaka and interviews with leading figures who
narrate events at Parihaka and their consequences.