Waikato Wars: Red ribbons for fallen Kiingitanga fighters

Wednesday, 25 October 2017

Bruce MacKay will commemorate the Waikato Wars at Steele Park, Hamilton, on Saturday.

Century-old oak trees line the edge of Hamilton's Steele Park.

They were planted for militia veterans who fought in the Waikato Wars in the 1860s.

Their names have been emblazoned on a plaque, titled the Settlers Stone.

But come Saturday, it will be the names of fallen Kiingitanga fighters that will be commemorated.

*Māori history largely ignored, say top historians

*Waikato wars commemorated: 150 years**

And rightly so, says Hamilton man Bruce MacKay.

On July 12, 1863, under orders from Governor George Grey, British troops marched south from Pokeno and crossed the stream, known as the 'aukati', which had been established by the second Māori King Tāwhiao as the line that should not be crossed.

The Waikato War pitted tribe against the armed constabulary and tribe against tribe, as some hapū pledged allegiance to the British.

Waikato Māori were left deprived of their lands, with the conflicts described as the formatting of the country's nationhood.

MacKay and others will tie red ribbons around the memorial oaks, printed with the names of the killed Kiingitanga fighters.

'The first idea was to create sleeves for street names around Hamilton, but that was going to take a lot of work and I would have run out of time,' MacKay said.

'This park was the first park created by Pākehā for their use and every oak tree here was named for a militia person.'

MacKay worked for the Hamilton City Council's parks department in 1989.

It was there that he was made aware of the history of the trees, and partly, from reading Vincent O'Malley's The Great War for New Zealand.

'My second great-grandfather was subject to the Scottish clearances in the north of Scotland … acknowledging my feelings in light of the injustices that happened there, resonates with me with what has happened in the Waikato more recently,' MacKay said.

'There's not even a park name for any of the Waikato wars or a statue of any major figures, yet here we are putting up another statue of a horse for WWI.'

The commemoration will be held at the pavilion at Steele Park (Te Nihinihi), Hamilton East, at 10am on Saturday.

The service will be led by kaumātua from Ngāti Wairere and University of Waikato lecturer Tom Roa will speak about the battle of Rangiaowhia.

A pot-luck will be held afterwards. All are welcome.