our past

The adage often used is, "Remember the past or you are doomed to repeat it."

Over a few posts I am going to put the Crown apology to Ngai Tahu up.

Why? So that we can remember the past and not have to repeat it!

"2.1 APOLOGY BY CROWN

The Crown apologises formally and will apologise publicly to Ngai Tahu as follows:

"1.

Kei te mohio te Karauna i te tino roa o nga tupuna o Ngai Tahu e totohe ana kia utu mai ratou e te Karauna - tata atu ki 150 nga tau i puta ai tenei pepeha a Ngai Tahu ara: "He mahi kai takata, he mahi kai hoaka". Na te whai mahara o nga tupuna o Ngai Tahu ki nga ahuatanga o nga kawenga a te Karauna i kawea ai e Matiaha Tiramorehu tana petihana ki a Kuini Wikitoria i te tau 1857. I tuhia e Tiramorehu tana petihana ara:
"Koia nei te whakahau a tou aroha i whiua e koe ki runga i enei kawana \'85 tera kia whakakotahitia te ture, kia whakakotahitia nga whakahau, kia orite nga ahuatanga mo te kiri ma kia rite ki to te kiri waitutu, me te whakatakoto i te aroha o tou ngakau pai ki runga i te iwi Maori kia noho ngakau pai tonu ai ratou me te mau mahara tonu ki te mana o tou ingoa."

Na konei te Karauna i whakaae ai tera, te taumaha o nga mahi a nga tupuna o Ngai Tahu, na reira i tu whakaiti atu ai i naia nei i mua i a ratou mokopuna.

1.

The Crown recognises the protracted labours of the Ngai Tahu ancestors in pursuit of their claims for redress and compensation against the Crown for nearly 150 years, as alluded to in the Ngai Tahu proverb 'He mahi kai takata, he mahi kai hoaka' ('It is work that consumes people, as greenstone consumes sandstone'). The Ngai Tahu understanding of the Crown's responsibilities conveyed to Queen Victoria by Matiaha Tiramorehu in a petition in 1857, guided the Ngai Tahu ancestors. Tiramorehu wrote, 'This was the command thy love laid upon these Governors ... that the law be made one, that the commandments be made one, that the nation be made one, that the white skin be made just equal with the dark skin, and to lay down the love of thy graciousness to the Maori that they dwell happily ... and remember the power of thy name.' The Crown hereby acknowledges the work of the Ngai Tahu ancestors and makes this apology to them and to their descendants."

I am also going to find a copy of the petition that Matiaha Tiramorehu conveyed to Queen Victoria in 1857 and put that up too.

1857 was only 1824 months ago.