NZ Wars petition adds weight to the call for a national day of remembrance

7 December 2015

The Māori Party welcomes the petition to Parliament calling for a national day of remembrance for the New Zealand Wars. Ōtorohanga College students gathered more than 11,000 signatures in support of a New Zealand Wars Day and have travelled from Waikato to Wellington to present it.

“These rangatahi have shown the kind of leadership this country needs. We are all better off for having a stronger understanding of our history, good and bad,” says Māori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell.

“The students, school community and whānau involved in this petition should be extremely proud of what they’ve achieved.”

The Māori Party has been a strong political advocate for commemorating the New Zealand land wars which began in the 1840s and mainly throughout the North Island during the 19th century.

Māori Party Co-leader Marama Fox says “these battles have shaped us as much as the wars our soldiers fought in distant lands.”

“Many people may not know about the military campaigns of Ōrākau in Waikato, Te Tarata in Ōpōtiki or the siege of Waeranga a Hika near Gisborne but they have left an indelible mark on our whenua and people.”

She says the petition presented to Parliament today adds weight to their negotiations with the Government to recognise days of great historical importance to Aotearoa New Zealand.

ENDS

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