Artwork depicting a significant Waipā event during the New Zealand Wars has been gifted to the Waipā District Council public art collection.
Hamilton-born artist Richard Lewer created the artwork ‘The Atrocities of Rangiaowhia’ for his exhibition ‘What they didn’t teach us at school’, which was inspired by what he saw as a lack of education on the New Zealand history during his school days in the 1980s.
An anonymous benefactor from Te Awamutu bought the piece, and has donated it to the Council’s public art collection, to ensure it remained in the Waipā District.
Mayor Susan O’Regan said the work is an important inclusion to the council’s collection, as it tells the story of the raid at Rangiaowhia during the British invasion of Waikato.
“The artwork interprets a significant and sensitive event in Waipā history of mana whenua, Ngāti Apakura and Ngāti Hinetu, and members of other tribes living at Rangiaowhia at the time,” she said.
“Adding it to our art collection will provide a challenging and thought-provoking reflection for everyone on a key moment for Waipā. It was a moving moment when kaumātua from Ngāti Apakura joined with Council in unveiling the artwork.”
To create the exhibition, Lewer researched podcasts, books, documentaries and talked with historian author Vincent O’Malley and Dr Tom Roa, a Tainui leader and Professor in the University of Waikato’s Te Pua Wananga ki te Ao - Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies.
Dr Roa said that in the 1850s, Rangiaowhia was the bustling agricultural hub of the Waikato – the Tainui tribes feeding much of the nation’s settlers and exporting wheat around the world.
The place of refuge at Rangiaowhia, intended for women, children, elderly and disabled people, was invaded on Sunday February 21,1864.
“The British forces bypassed the defensive pa at Pāterangi and instead attacked the undefended civilians who’d been assured of their safety at the sanctuary,” he said. “Oral and written accounts of the massacre vary, with reports of fatalities ranging from 10 to over 100. Whare were set ablaze, and those who attempted to escape or surrender were shot, with several people dying in the flames.
“Part of the tragedy of Rangiaowhia for me is that the potential promised in The Treaty of Waitangi of two peoples prospering in Aotearoa New Zealand was being realised at Rangiaowhia. Now, moving forward, we have an opportunity to re-engage with that promise.”
The artwork is displayed in Council’s Te Awamutu building, outside the Mayor’s office.
