Tatarakihi - The Children of Parihaka

A new documentary from Documentary Edge award-winning producer/director Paora Joseph and executive producer Gaylene Preston, Tatarakihi – The Children of Parihaka, will feature in the NZ International Film Festival, screening on August 7 & 8 at Rialto Cinema.

Set in the present, the film follows a group of schoolchildren from the Taranaki pa on a bus trip they made in 2009 to follow the forced journey of their ancestors, political prisoners from Parihaka, in the 1880s. The film weaves the observations of the children - through artwork, poetry and song - and the footage of their journey with archival photography to bring the history to life. It tells the story of the ancestors who, with the leadership of Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi, used passive resistance to oppose the Government’s confiscation of their lands.

NZ International Film Festival director Bill Gosden says, “the passage of knowledge conveyed in and by Tatarakihi is both sombre and enriching. The film is narrated by the children and combines footage of their hikoi (some of it shot by the children themselves) with vivid archival photography.”

Producer/director Paora Joseph: “While it recounts days of darkness, Tatarakihi – The Children Of Parihaka is imbued with a sense of restoration and hope, enabling a continued dialogue for understanding and mutual respect of both Māori and Pākehā in the New Zealand we know today. This film will also provide reflection to other indigenous nations that memory of the ancient world is important within the modern context that we now find ourselves in.

“This film is dedicated to the memory of all who have carried the kaupapa of passive resistance taught by Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi.”