St John’s Anglican Church, Te Awamutu
Wasn’t Te Awamutu’s last Christmas parade fabulous? If you remember it was a very busy day, bright and sunny. Parking was a premium, especially with the street closed off. People parked wherever they could and many parked in places they shouldn’t.
“Erected by the New Zealand Government
In Memory of the Maori Heroes
Who fell in the Battles of Hairini and Orakau 1864
many of whom lie buried beneath or near this stone.”
I was distressed that people parked on the grassed area surrounding the monument out the front of St John’s Anglican Church. After I realised the first car was there, I stationed myself outside and asked people to move on. Many did willingly, but there were enough who cared not a whit that the area ended up covered in cars and I had spent the morning being abused. Not a great feeling when the day is meant to be about good cheer!
Why am I so upset that people park on that area? Because if you read the monument, it specifically states that it is a burial site.
“Erected by the New Zealand Government… In Memory of the Maori Heroes… Who fell in the Battles of Hairini and Orakau 1864… many of whom lie buried beneath or near this stone.”
Just because there are no gravestones in this area does not mean there is no-one buried beneath. This area is in fact, one of the most significant in the whole of St John’s graveyard. We believe that this monument is the only government erected monument for fallen Maori warriors that stands on land that was considered as Pakeha land. This site is regularly visited by the descendants of those buried, particularly on the dates of the battles at Rangiaowhia and Orakau when the warriors were killed. We at St John’s consider it sacred, but for the people of Ngati Apakura and Maniapoto this is the site of their tupuna. A place of remembering and pain. A place that should be honoured by all.
Rev Julie Guest
On the day of the Christmas parade, even when I explained all this, people still parked there. Many told me they’d never heard that it was a burial site-by their voice indicating that because they’d never heard about it, it wasn’t true. I remain amazed that people who have lived in Te Awamutu all their lives, know soooo little about their own area. May I encourage you to explore your own area and become aware of the history. The library is a rich resource of reading material. Waipa council has created Te Ara Wai journeys which combines a physical journey with an app that provides maps, directions and background information at each site. We at St John’s parish offer a pilgrimage through our parish, encompassing the origins in Pirongia (then Alexandria) and the two Category one churches and their histories. Christ told us to love our neighbours as ourselves. Treating sacred burial sites with honour is loving our neighbour. Come on Te Awamutu. Let’s do that better.
St John’s Anglican Church, Te Awamutu
