5th November

Education is the cornerstone of democracy

Virgel Hammonds, Aurora Institute CEO

This post was started at the beginning of the week while I was attending the Aurora Institute Symposium in New Orleans. What a fabulous event featuring some outstanding speakers, workshops and presentations by students!

Early on at the conference it was acknowledged that the event would be concluding on November 5th, which happened to be the date of the elections being held in the US. While there was a complete absence of mention of the elections other than reference to the date they were being held, several of the speakers made reference to the importance of what we were gathered together to discuss – the future of education – emphasising the importance of enabling learners to thrive into the future, and how education is the cornerstone of democracy. In the wrap-up session of Tuesday 4th Nov, the host encouraged everyone to ensure they cast their vote (for whoever they choose) – signalling that November 5th may prove to be a date that will be remembered in the future of US affairs.

For me, as a New Zealander sitting in the crowd, I could fully appreciate why this might be so – but I couldn’t help but reflect on the significance of this date in the lives we live back in New Zealand. By the time this blog post is published we will have moved past the 5th November – but of course, in NZ it is a date we remember as Guy Fawkes Day – the day we remember the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (in England!), when Guy Fawkes and fellow Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up Parliament and assassinate James I of England.  

Apart from a few references to this as the reason for celebrating Guy Fawkes day when I was in primary school, the significance of the day was totally lost on me – and pretty much everyone I know. It was more of an occasion where we could let off vast quantities of fireworks, terrify the neighbourhood pets and do our best to avoid burning our fingers on the tips of sparklers as we waved them about in the garden.

As an adult I can now appreciate the significance of what happened in terms of a group of people, motivated by experiences of religious persecution (catholics vs. protestants) taking matters into their own hands in protest etc. But it has always seemed that this historic event is really quite distant from how we live in New Zealand. While there may be an argument for how the capture of Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators, and the thwarting of their attempt to blow up parliament was significant in terms of preserving the structure of government in England at the time, it has also puzzled me why the conspirator is the one who is celebrated somehow. I mean, what did he and his colleagues actually achieve – apart from eventually being dragged behind a horse along the streets of London to Westminster Yard where, one by one, they were hanged, drawn and quartered.

The reasons behind why we choose certain events for a national celebration or holiday are many and varied. Most have some sort of significance in terms of who we are as a nation, commemorating important events such as ANZAC day or Waitangi Day, or religious or cultural festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Matariki or Diwali for example. Then there are the events that we seem to have adopted that don’t really seem to connect with who we are as a nation – such as Guy Fawkes or, more recently, Halloween.

As I’ve read, listened and learned more about the significance of such events, particularly those we celebrate together as a nation, observing their significance in terms of who we are and are becoming as a people, I’ve reflected more on the ‘why’ behind these things. For example, Waitangi Day became a public holiday in 1974 (despite being celebrated without a holiday since 1934) bringing to the fore our understanding as a nation of the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as New Zealand’s founding document, representing a partnership between Māori and the British Crown. Back in 1974 the level of public awareness of this wasn’t very high – nor was the level of daily use of Te Reo in our media or everyday conversations. Although we could argue the speed with which change has been made (and continues to be made) has been too slow, embracing Waitangi Day as a public holiday would certainly be perceived to be an important driver towards gaining better public understanding and appreciation of what this event was all about – reflected in things such as the Crown’s commitment to resolving historic settlements with Iwi, and the broad acceptance and use of Te Reo across all spheres of life.

So what has this to do with November 5th? Lots – and none of it to do with Guy Fawkes. On November 5th 1881, more than 1,500 Crown troops, led by the Native Minister, invaded Parihaka, a community of Māori in western Taranaki under the leadership of Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi. There’s a lot more to the story of Parihaka than simply this day of invasion – it involves stories of Māori displaced by land confiscation and wars breaking out in various parts of the country – including Taranaki.

On the fateful day of November 5th, 1881, after months of attempting to lure members of the community to engage in battle, the soldiers invaded, No resistance was offered. Over the following days, some 1,600 men, women and children not originally from Parihaka were forcibly expelled from the settlement and made to return to their previous homes. [source].

Unlike many other tribal areas, Te Whiti and Tohu remained committed to the way of peace, and led their community under the same principle. The teachings of Te Whiti—symbolised by the raukura, or white feather of peace—have inspired artists and writers, political activists, social advocates, religious thinkers, philosophers, and clergy in New Zealand and abroad. The teachings of Parihaka were noted, for example, by Mahatma Gandhi. [source].

I’ve had the privilege of twice visiting Parihaka, being hosted to stay there on one of those occasions. It was a genuinely moving experience – being physically in the place where this peaceful resistance took place (and the invasion that followed), and hearing the stories told by the descendants of some of those involved. My motivation in writing this post comes not from wanting to document the full story of Parihaka (you can read all about that by following the source links provided). It’s more of a personal response as I reflect on the challenges I’ve heard while attending the Aurora Symposium in New Orleans this week. I simply wanted to reflect on the significance of November 5th, as a citizen of New Zealand committed to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and interested in the future we may be creating for ourselves and our grandchildren (and theirs!)

So back to thinking about the significance of November 5th. Aside from now being remembered as the day in 2024 when Donald Trump was convincingly re-elected as president of the USA, perhaps it’s time for those of us from New Zealand to consider shifting our commemoration of something that happened so long ago in a very different part of the world, to reflecting on the significance of what happened in Parihaka and the lessons we can learn from that as a nation?

Commemorating Parihaka instead of Guy Fawkes Day represents a significant opportunity to reshape New Zealand’s national narrative and advance reconciliation efforts. This shift can have profound implications for education and democracy in New Zealand. By focusing on Parihaka, educators can play a crucial role in bringing indigenous history to the forefront of New Zealand’s national consciousness. This aligns with the government’s initiative to teach New Zealand history in all schools from 2022.

Parihaka’s story of peaceful resistance offers a powerful alternative to the violent narrative of Guy Fawkes Day. It provides an opportunity to teach students about conflict resolution and the power of non-violent protest, and can help bridge cultural divides and promote a more inclusive national identity. It encourages both Māori and non-Māori students to engage with an important part of their shared history.

As educators, we have the power to shape the future of New Zealand’s democracy through our teaching. Here are some thoughts about how we can contribute to this important shift:

1. Integrate Parihaka into Your Curriculum: Develop age-appropriate lessons about Parihaka for different grade levels4. Use resources provided by organizations like Caritas to support your teaching.
2. Encourage Critical Thinking: Guide students to compare and contrast the significance of Parihaka and Guy Fawkes Day. Encourage them to question why certain historical events are commemorated over others.
3. Promote Local Connections: Collaborate with local Māori communities to bring authentic voices and perspectives into your classroom1. This can help students understand the ongoing relevance of Parihaka’s history.
4. Organise Commemorative Events: Plan school events around November 5th that focus on Parihaka instead of Guy Fawkes Day. This could include student presentations, art exhibitions, or invited speakers.
5. Advocate for Change: Use your professional networks to advocate for a broader shift towards commemorating Parihaka at a national level. Engage with educational policymakers to support this change.

Remember, as educators, we are not just teaching history; we are shaping the future of New Zealand’s democracy. By embracing the story of Parihaka, we can help foster a more inclusive, peaceful, and just society. This shift in focus from Guy Fawkes to Parihaka is more than just a change in historical narrative – it’s an opportunity to deepen students’ understanding of their nation’s past and empower them to actively participate in shaping its future.