At school, we heard about the battle of the Somme and the attack on Pearl Harbour but we didn’t hear about the Battle of Gate Pā or the attack on Parihaka.
To change this, in November, the Social Change Collective invited Dr. Vincent O’Malley to school us on the New Zealand Wars.
Dr. O’Malley explained the context that lead to the NZ Wars before providing an overview of some of the major battles. He corrected some of the most common misconceptions about the Wars and emphasised the on-going impacts of the wars today.
At the end of our lesson, we outlined some actions we can all take to improve our country’s knowledge of this important part of our history:
1. Educate yourself
Books:
Websites:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/author/vincent-omalley/
https://teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/new-zealands-19th-century-wars/
2. Educate others
Organize a talk/training at your work
Share what you have learnt with others
Encourage conversations
3. Educate Government
To protect significant land war sites
To put resources towards education about and protection of sites
Involve the local Iwi in decisions