True Story of Reconciliation

In the 1830's there is a Maori girl, Tarore who lived in Waikato, daughter of a rangatira (chief) called Ngakuku. During that time, there was civil war between Maori tribes with guns bought from the European settlers. Strife was rampant with killing and revenge.

Some missionaries like Rev. Alfred and Mrs Brown came with the Bible, God's Word. They wanted to teach people how to read it and learn about God's love. Tarore heard of them and wanted to learn from them, and her father agreed.

Tarore learned about Jesus, who has great mana (honour). Jesus loved people, he did't fight back his enemies even when the wanted to kill him. Jesus taught people to love one another and God. Jesus was the Son of God, died on the cross and rose again. He defeats the dark powers of the world and bring people to reconcile with God.

Tarore was given a copy of Te Rongopai A Ruka (Gospel of Luke), the first parts of the Maori Bible. She read it to her people, including her father. The message about love and peace was new, instead of constant hate and pain of war.

When Tarore grew older, it was dangerous to remain in Matamata. Thus, Ngakuku brought a group of people to the Kaimai Range and camped at Wairere Falls for the night. Before sleeping, Tarore read to the group a portion of the scripture.

As they sleep, some Te Arawa warriors who were enemies of Ngakuku came and tried to kill them silently. Before long, Tarore was dead and the rest of the people wanted revenge.

However, Ngakuku remembering the scriptures that Tarore read, said no to more killing.

The Te Arawas stoled the scripture and gave it to their chief, Uita. But none of their tribesmen could read it, except a slave, Ripahau who was taught how to read by the missionaries in the Bay of Islands.

As Uita heard the words, he asked "Loved my enemies? But I killed the girl who had this book... I want the peace that Jesus brings."

So he sent a message for forgiveness from Ngakuku. Peace not through force but from the power of God's Word.

Ripahau went back to his home village Otaki and met his chief Te Rauparaha and their family, teaching them how to read from Tarore's book. However, Te Rauparaha was a man of war (picture left).

One day his son Tamihana said to his father, "I want to follow the way of peace" and invited missionary Octavius Hadfield from the Bay of Islands to live with them. After many years Te Rauparaha begin to change his ways.

Taminaha upon his own initiative, went to the South Island where people there lived in fear of war and revenge. He went on his canoe to his father's enemies, and told them of the things he learned from Tarore's scripture - how Jesus taught the way of peace, better than hatred and war.

No missionaries had ever step foot in the South Island. But after a few years when Bishop Selwyn visited South Island, he was surprised to find people living in peace and following Jesus. Many of them learned to read and write through Tamihana. The only books they had were Tarore's Gospel of Luke and the Maori Prayer Book.

Alfred Brown, when he visited Ngakuku and Uita (the warring chiefs mentioned earlier), recorded in 1842, that both worshipped and prayed to God together in the most friendly temrs. He remarked, "who but Christians love their enemies?"

-- Adapted from Reconciliation - Whakahoanga, Bible Society of NZ