Historical Significance And Effect On New Zealand Society
The Effect on Maori Society
Before Rua and his community was established, the European community felt that they had an excessive amount of power and control over the Maori. This is evident from the amount of land and other rights which were taken off them before and during the time of Rua in various land wars and disagreements of power. Maori felt as though they were losing their cultural and ancestral pride and were being dominated by the European settlers. Maori society needed a representative who could voice their rights reclaim their beloved heritage. When Rua came along, Maori saw the light at the end of the began to speak up and do something about their oppression. For Maori society, they saw a leader who was strong and ambitious and could speak on behalf of them and make Maori rights heard. For a community who had lived peacefully and without foreign influence for so long, it came as a shock to Maori to be suddenly dominated and overruled in their own land. Maori felt powerless against the force of the Europeans and thought that they would never be able to live alongside them and share the same ground. However, Rua had a very positive long term effect on their society and Maori felt that they could be once again united and their voices heard. Rua was a man of great spirit and confidence. He strongly believed that he could influence his Maori people and spread his visions and prophesies with New Zealand. He did not let the rules and views of the New Zealand government interrupt his plans and ideas and was an advocate for fairness and peace. Even when the Pakeha community expressed their opinions of Rua which consisted of conspiracy theories and hate, Rua continued to move forward in his world of leadership and guidance. In particular, during conscription for the first World War, Rua opposed the enlisting of Maori for the war and did not want anymore blood to be shed. These ideas were clearly expressed by Rua and his influence on the Maori people was clear during this time, as many shared the same ideas as him and valued his teachings and opinions a lot more than those of the New Zealand government. Rua felt like it was much more important and in a sense his destiny to play advocate for the Maori people and encourage them to maintain their strong Maori culture. This had a substantial effect on Maori society as they could once again feel a sense of belonging as they had an outgoing robust figure to follow and be guided by. Rua encouraged Maori to not be alienated by European ways, some influence could be justified, however he refused to let them take over and reshape New Zealand to mirror their ways of living and teaching. Through the power of Rua and his community, Maori could once again feel united in the prospect of continuing their Maori heritage and Ihi (power, force) for generations to follow.
The Effect on the European Society
Rua and his community on Maungapohatu had a huge effect on the European society. Rua challenged the ways in which the settlers saw and thought about the Maori community and the eyes of the Europeans were opened up to the prospect of peace and unity. When arriving in New Zealand, the European settlers immediately began to dominate and impose their ideas and values upon the native Maori people. Land was taken and a new way of living infected New Zealand which had been for so long ruled under Maori values and ancestors. As soon as Maori began to voice their objection to the treatment of their people, the Europeans did not listen or take into account the Maori way of life. Rua created a community away from European influence because he wanted to maintain the simplicity and humbleness of life which the Maori had lived for generations. When Rua's visions and teachings became known to the settlers, they saw this as a threat to their society and what they claimed to be their country. The objection to conscription during World War One, was an eye opener for the New Zealand government during a time where they wanted to impress and live up to the expectations of the monarchy. The fact that Maori stood up to the government and said 'no' meant that they felt challenged and uneasy about the unexpected unity of the Maori people. This had a great effect on European society in long term as it meant that many conspiracy theories were created and used to spark fear and anger amongst society. The sudden voicing of Maori rights at the hands of Rua Kenana, threatened the power of the Europeans and they felt that immediate action needed to be taken. This meant arresting and unnecessarily using their power to control and manipulate Rua into someone they wanted him to be. When Rua refused to back down and continued to represent and lead in his community, the government decided to take extreme action to silence Rua and sensor his behaviour - which they felt could jeopardise their control and influence over the society of New Zealand. The European society became almost paranoid of what Rua was capable of and labeled him as a figure of terror rather than one of peace and someone who purely acted out of the passion for unity and harmony. Following the raid of Maungapohatu, the European society was forced to look at the situation from both the point of view of Maori and Pakeha. For the first time, Pakeha saw some of their actions as wrong and too extreme. A sense of regret and guilt was felt amongst the European community and they saw themselves as overbearing and unresponsive to the rights and voices of Maori. Even those who contributed to the illegal arrest of Rua Kenana admitted to the unfair and unjustified manor in which it was carried out and helped to prosecute those who were involved. This shows us as historians the great effect Rua had on not only his society but foreign societies to. The NZ government still felt hostility towards the Maori community and the blame was still debated upon, however there was a hunger felt amongst both the Maori and Pakeha society to band together and communicate each-other's needs and wants. Although negative in the beginning, Rua's effect on the European society was long lasting as it meant that they were forced to view their actions from the perspective of the Maori people. This meant that they could see the need for change and development in order to improve New Zealand for the better as well as embracing the prospect of united and peaceful country, who cooperates and embraces change and different morales.
Rua's Effect on Society as a Whole.
As a whole, New Zealand society has been united and prospers in the fact that both Maori and Pakeha live and share the same country and all its wealth. Today, Maori have an active say in all major decisions regarding New Zealand as they have their own political parties, organisations and groups. Although there is still conflict regarding land and other resources, Maori and Pakeha are known as a 'one people' rather than two separate identities. Maori still has it's own important history, values and principals as do the other melting pot of cultures who now call New Zealand home. Rua Kenana sparked the development of the improved relationship between Maori and Pakeha and Maori now can enjoy a peaceful life of which their views and history is recognised. Communities such as Rua's still exist today such as that of Ruatoria in Gisborne where Maori is fluently spoken and the transport method of choice is horseback. With the everlasting list of different cultures who live and enjoy New Zealand, the relationship between Maori and Pakeha sets an example to these cultures of how two once conflicting societies now can live together and share the same freedoms and rights as each other. This also reflects the significance of Rua's community to New Zealanders and the New Zealand society.
The fact that historians are still analysing and using Rua Kenana and his community for research and teaching reinforces his and his communities's significance and contribution to New Zealand's history.
Rua's community is significant to us as New Zealanders as it taught us the lesson of how views and ideas can be wrongly confused and translated into messages of hate and mistrust. However, as Rua did, we must not let the opinions of others get in our way and hinder what we want to achieve. Rua's persistence and strong willed character showed us just what it takes to have your visions and hopes for your people heard. From the perspective of a historian, Rua Kenana contributed to the freedoms and rights that Maori have today. Rua's community led the way and sparked confidence amongst other groups of people to have their dreams and hopes heard and this is extremely significant and important in a society which is still developing and growing as it moves into the future. New Zealanders during Rua's time, looked at his event and at Rua as a person and saw hope for a two conflicting societies to come together as one. Rua was not the only figure who helped unite Maori and Pakeha, however he was a key personality and was especially significant as he was different to other leaders in a sense that he was radical and unique. The amount of media attention which Rua attracted emphasises his significance as it meant that many people became aware and interested in what Rua was doing. Media attention was attracted as New Zealand had never experienced anything or anyone like Rua Kenana and his community before. Because New Zealand society had never seen anything like this before meant that they were forced to look and and evaluate the situation between Maori and European people during the time and analysis why and what was going on. Before this point in time there had been no clear Maori figure creating noise and attracting European attention, New Zealand was purely dominated by settlers and had so far been able to do what they wanted to an extent. This is another reason why Rua and his community at Maungapohatu was significant, Europeans had never been subjected to such a influencial, powerful Maori and were forced to reconsider their actions. A strong Maori leader had attracted so much attention that the government felt threatened enough to carry out a raid which they knew would spark serious controversy, this in itself is significant as it was the biggest clash between a Maori community and the police. Today, we recognise Rua Kenana and his community as significant as he led the way in terms of unity and peace between our two main cultures. We today can look at Rua and be inspired to spread our own beliefs and ideas without the fear of being unfairly persecuted. Rua was not afraid to spread his ideas despite the ongoing judgement and surveillance of the government. We as society today often feel like we will be looked down upon for doing what we believe in and therefore do not pursue our dreams. Rua showed us that we can achieve what we believe no matter who we are. It was extremely difficult for Rua to create a community out of 'nothing' and inspire so many people to follow and look to him as a leader. He achieved his goals and became one of the most powerful and prosperous leaders in Maori History reinforcing his significance. The fact that there are communities like his still out there today, once again signifies his lasting impact on us as New Zealanders in Society.