NEW ZEALAND: CHATHAM ISLAND HOME TO THE MORIORI PEOPLE
English/Nat
Inhabitants of the first place on earth to see the sunrise of the next millennium are trying to promote the teachings of a virtually extinct indigenous tribe as the model for world peace in the 21st century.
The Moriori people who populated the Chatham Islands 500 miles east of New Zealand were the world's first pacifists.
The race was virtually wiped out by Maori invaders in 1835 because they refused to take up arms.
Modern-day residents of the Chathams want the Moriori belief in peace to be the message they send worldwide when their small islands are the focus of global attention as dawn breaks on the new millennium.
In a quiet woodland at the bottom of the world a handful of tourists are captivated by mysterious carvings dating back 500 years.
The tree trunks bear the mark of the Moriori - the indigenous tribe which sailed from Polynesia to discover the Chatham Islands.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
Moriori were the first true pacifists in the world and they preached peace and that's the message we want to send to the world to reflect peace in the new millennium
SUPER CAPTION: Alfred Preece, Moriori descendant
Peace is the Moriori legacy.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
They were so ahead of their time and the message they had, what 200 years ago? is now a universal message.
SUPER CAPTION: Arthur Bates,Tourist Guide
Most of the Moriori were literally eaten by their Maori conquerors as they refused to fight back when they were invaded in 1835.
The last full blood Moriori was Tommy Solomon.
He died in 1933 - a statue in his memory now stands proudly over the coastal scene where the main massacre happened.
Tommy is survived by sons and nephews for whom the beach at Waitangi holds a link with their past and gives them hope for the future.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
It's history, it cannot be changed and I think, Moriori in general, their wish is for the right story should be told . But, we have to get on with life and we have to get on working with those same people
SUPER CAPTION: Dennis Solomon, Son of Moriori elder.
Moriori and Maori do now work side by side as cray fishermen and farmers on the Chatham Islands - when the new century dawns they will join together in sending a united pacifist message across the seven seas.
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CHATHAM ISLANDS: MILLENNIUM PREPARATIONS: SUNSET
Natural Sound
Chatham Islanders bid their final farewell to the sun that has shone for a thousand years on the second millennium.
They will be the first people in a permanently settled land to see the sun as it starts warming the 21st century.
The Chatham Islands are a part of New Zealand but separated from the mainland by more than 800 kilometres of the South Pacific Ocean.
The Chathams consist of two main islands, both inhabited - Chatham Island and Pitt Island.
Their position makes them the first permanently inhabited place in the world to see the new dawn - 'first to see the sun.'
They will see midnight 15 minutes after Kiribati and Tonga, and 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand.
Around 50 people live on Pitt Island with 700 people living on Chatham Island.
Some are of British descent, but many have roots with the Maori's, and still others from the Moriori's, the islands' original inhabitants.
The Islands have a history dating back more than 1-thousand years and are renowned for being the last home of the Moriori, an isolated group of Polynesians.
Around 2-thousand Moriori lived on the Chathams before the Maori settlement of New Zealand.
The Moriori's were enslaved or killed by the more war-like Maori's during the 19th century.
By the beginning of this century there were just 12 full-bloodied Moriori remaining.
The last of them, Tommy Solomon, died in 1933.
But many Moriori traditions survive.
The prayers and songs used for the millennium celebration are of Moriori origin.
The millennium has helped promote a Moriori consciousness among the islanders which was already growing in the last decade.
The unique position of the Chatham islands make the residents excited about their place in history.
They also hope their unusual traditions will prove entertaining to their audience.
Their indigenous songs and prayers, however, call for the same kind of blessings that people ask for around the world.
They ask for tolerance, peace, love, family and charity.
It is hard to imagine what event could bring this kind of attention to a rugged outpost like this.
But it is also hard to imagine a group of people more anxious to be in the international spotlight.
The excitement apparent less than two days before the big event should carry right through the start of the year 2000.
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CHATHAM ISLANDS: MILLENNIUM PREPARATIONS LATEST
English/Nat
Excitement is building as locals rehearse their greeting for the third millennium on the Chatham Islands, one of the first places to see the year 2000.
Island elders will hoist a beacon of hope to the world at midnight December 31st.
And the dawn will see dancing, reminiscent of the Chathams original residents, the Moriori's.
With good weather, the Chathams will become the first permanently habited land to see the sun rise in the 21st century.
Midnight on the Chatham Islands - on top of Mount Rangaika, the islanders taking part in the Millennium ceremonies go through their paces.
The ceremonies reflect the heritage of the Chathams and the various cultures that have shaped its history, from the indigenous Moriori to the Europeans who landed here in the 18th century.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
For us, the island residents, for a community of 750, it is surely the same. And we are creating the same message for the next Millennium especially for the children. Leaders, particularly the leaders of the world wake up and look and do something that will create more peace and harmony, brotherhood and environmental care for their future.
SUPER CAPTION: Pat Smith, Chatham Islanders
Traditional chants and prayers handed down the generations are the focus of the Millennium celebrations.
There is deep symbolism in the ceremonies and a strict protocol observed at the midnight and dawn moments.
Dennis Solomon, the grandson of the last full-blooded Moriori to live on the Chathams, takes a leading role.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
We have been here, our people have been here for a long time and recently in the last hundred years or so that we are actually sharing with other people Moriori beliefs. And it always has been, to share the good things of Rekohu. Rekohu means islands in the mist to the rest of the world. They done it to the sailors and whalers when they first came - we have done it to everyone since - and they are still doing it.
SUPER CAPTION: Dennis Solomon, Chatham Islanders
In the 1800's many of the Moriori living on the Chathams were wiped out by a Maori tribe who resettled on the islands by killing those Moriori who resisted enslavement.
A statue to Tommy Solomon, the last full-blooded Moriori who died in 1933, is a striking symbol of the Moriori heritage of the island.
Bunty Preece can trace his ancestry back to the first Moriori and is nearing the age of 78.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
We believe in peace and tolerance, love. If I can say to the world I love you it will be the gold card for the future, for the new millennium. If we said that it will build a lot of bridges I think that is what we need to bring the people together.
SUPER CAPTION: Bunty Preece, Chatham Islander
The sun is due to rise on the Chathams at just after five a-m in the morning, 45 minutes ahead of mainland New Zealand.
The island's cultural group will perform Haka and traditional Waita or songs.
Cloud obscured the sun's glow this morning as final rehearsals were underway, everyone's hoping for clear skies on the day.
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Chatham Island Weka
By the early 1900s the buff weka had become extinct in their home-range of eastern Canterbury and Otago. But, through a stroke of luck, 12 birds had been introduced to the Chatham Islands in 1905. Meet the locals is a partnership between DOC and TVNZ 6 and is distributed by Bush Telly with permission.
Chatham island - welcoming new millenium
Millenium celebrations from Chatham island New Zealand
Researching the Moriori of the Chatham Islands
Kua whakawhiwhia tetahi roopu rangahau ki te putea nui, e taea ai e ratou nga korero mo te puutakenga o te iwi Moriori ki Rekohu, te kohi ake.
Hands-on science with the folks at Chatham and Pitt Islands
We visited the Chatham Islands in late 2017 to bring hands-on experiences with science for children from three schools at Pitt and Chatham Islands. Working alongside people from the Otago Museum, there were talks in the pub, a show at the local marae and stargazing to engage and inspire the community. If you're interested in arranging a hands-on science experience at your school or community, please get in touch at and visit the Otago Museum
The Black Robin - A Chatham Island Story
The Chatham Island Black Robin from New Zealand once held the dubious distinction of being the rarest bird on earth. With only five individuals left, their species stared directly into the oblivion of extinction. What brought them back from the edge and even allowed them to thrive as a species?
This 1 hour factual television programme was produced by NHNZ.
Stock footage from this show is available from Moving Images -- NHNZ's stock footage archive.
This show is available on DVD. Buy online at
History of Chatham Islands numismatics Top # 5 Facts
History of Chatham Islands numismatics Top # 5 Facts
New Zealand history 1950 ; The clock collector ; Maori regatta ; Eruption of Mt Ruapehu ;
From New Zealand film archives ,New Zealand national film unit presents three short films including some very rare footage of the 1950 eruption of Mt Ruapehu in the central north island .
If you are a sports man or women you will find our sports tutorial web site of interest check it out
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Moriori initial deed of settlement
Moriori have initialled a deed to settle historic treaty claims at parliament this afternoon. As political reporter Eruera Rerekura discovered, the grievances of the Chatham Islands people go back nearly 160 years.
Ancient Island Carvings - Tales from Te Papa episode 75
These Moriori house carvings are extremely precious in that they are the only ones that survive. Riria uncovers some of their story. TALES FROM TE PAPA is a fascinating new series of mini-documentaries for TVNZ 7 that showcase many of the exciting, wonderful and significant pieces that are held in our national museum. Tales from Te Papa is commissioned by TVNZ 7, in partnership with Te Papa.
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Conservation of Rākau Momori removed from the forest
See the work being done in our workshop at Kōpinga Marae, Rēkohu on the conservation of the last remaining Rākau Momori or markings made into the bark of living trees depicting our precious karāpuna (ancestors). Dr Ian Barber, Nirmala Balram and Todd O'Hagan discuss the importance of the rākau momori and the work being undertaken to conserve them.
Sadly the Kopi groves – a vital food resource for our people – and gardened and nurtured like an orchard are in severe decline due largely to lack of knowledge and care. And also the very real pressures of climate change.
One of the most pressing issues facing the trees is the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora. Well known across Aotearoa for causing Kauri Die-back this gets into our kopi through split and broken foliage from wind damage and sets the trees to rot from the inside out.
With the help of experts such as Ian and his colleague Dr. Justin Maxwell, and arborist Marc Higgie, we have been forced to take often drastic action to fell some of these last trees, and then remove these extremely heavy and fragile sections of tree trunk.
This is only when the trees are so badly damaged by decay that they won't recover and we are forced into acting to save and protect the sacred markings.
We are now working with the Department of Conservation to more actively manage these last stands. More akin to the traditional way these orchards of food were tended to in the past. Current understanding of the original Moriori culture has estimated that kopi berries provided more than 75% of the Moriori carbohydrate intake.
We are still trying to ascertain the method of applying these figures to the kopi trees, but instead of carvings these are more of a repeated impression with a hard tool, with fire black mixed with oils and rubbed in. More akin to a contemporary tattoo on living skin than actual carving as we'd imagine today.
We hear from our expert friends Dr. Ian Barber, Professor of Archaeology, University of Otago and Nirmala Balram, Lead Conservator, Te Papa Tongarewa Museum Of New Zealand about the cultural significance of these. Wellington woodworker Todd O'Hagan also gives his thoughts on preserving these precious tāonga.
Keen to know more? Please visit moriori.co.nz or more info.
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Filmed and edited by Luke Frater. Includes tāonga puoro as performed by James Webster and recorded on Rēkohu. Directed by Turi Park for Hokotehi Moriori Trust. © 2016-2018.
Maori Culture & Moriori Culture
Video presentation
Last of the mori ori
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Moriori Genocide by Joanne glynn and victoria soto
PM, Treaty Minister Chathams visit beneficial for Moriori, Māori
A visit by the Prime Minister John Key and Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson has reaped benefits for the Chatham Islands and Pitt Island. In September last year, the government visited the island to talk to Moriori and Māori leaders about working towards their treaty settlements. Hokotehi Moriori Trust General Manager Maui Solomon says while they were there they took into consideration the dilapidated state of some of the community's important facilities, now they have made a commitment to fixing both the island's wharves. The Government is also about to roll-out fast broadband for the island's three primary schools.
Enderby Island Expedition 1954
Amazing archival footage of Auckland Islands’ Enderby Island as it was in 1954, when French Blue Rabbit and Elephant Seals still lived there, as taken by Zoologist Peter Bull. Peter joined fellow Zoologist Dick Bell and a young technician with the Animal Ecology Section of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) Rowley Taylor (author of Straight Through From London) on a three-man Dominion Museum/DSIR expedition aboard coaster Holmlea, which stopped at Enderby Island en route to Macquarie Island. Video kindly shared by Peter’s daughter Barbara Simons who also made the journey to Enderby Island aboard Spirit of Enderby on Heritage Expeditions’ ‘Beyond Fiordland: New Zealand’s Wildest Islands’ voyage.