Our New Zealand Lectionary remembers Hemi Te Kirkaramu of Gate Pa on

Our New Zealand Lectionary remembers Hemi Te Kirkaramu of Gate Pa on this day. I can find no better explanation of who she was and why we remember her and the other valiant and wonderful Christians who were her friends and companions than this portion of a sermon. A sermon that rather dramtically revolves around a single biblican verse.

Our Bishop (then Archbishop), who preached this sermon 3 Feb 2001

Sermon for Closing Eucharist and Ordination of Deacons 198th Diocesan Convention Saturday 3 February 2001 in Christ Church, Savannah, Georgia

+John Paterson

. . . still I wish to focus on the Epistle to the Romans. The passage I specified to be read as the Epistle for this Eucharist closes at verse 13, but Paul's advice to his readers, Paul's discussion of the structuring effects of grace as they come to bear on human relationships and human society, continues even into the next chapter. Part of that advice is contained in verse 20, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink."

So, I want to tell you two New Zealand stories about the effect that verse had in the early days of white British settlement of our country. Stories that reinforce the effects of good communication. Stories that speak of the effect of the Christian Gospel. Stories that point to the glory of ministry in the midst of struggle and strife, life and death.

An early Maori convert to Christianity took the baptised name of Henare Wiremu Taratoa. He became an Anglican Lay Reader, studied at our Theological College, accompanied Bishop Selwyn to the mission field in what is now the Church of Melanesia, the Solomon Islands, and became a highly respected leader of his people. However, when British troops moved to invade his home territory near the modern day city of Tauranga. Taratoa decided that his place was with his people, and he assumed a leadership role amongst the Maori fighting forces facing the much better armed British colonial troops. Taratoa asserted his Christian training by delivering to the Colonel commanding the British troops, his "Orders of the Day" containing his instructions to his own men for the conduct of the ensuing battle. He guaranteed to spare the lives of any troops who surrendered or deserted. He declared that he would not allow his men to fight on or near Church land, and the house of the priest was to be neutral and therefore safe territory. His men would only fight armed men, and women and children would be protected. In Taratoa's view this was good communication. He not only insisted that his own fighting forces knew very clearly how the battle was to be conducted, but he also wanted to make it quite clear to the enemy what they could expect. Some would see that as quite naive behavior, Taratoa saw it as his Christian duty.

Although one of the reasons for the invasion was to ensure that local supplies to help the Maori forces gathering inland in the Waikato region could not get through, Taratoa was concerned to see that any battle that was fought was fought on fair and equal grounds, so two days into the battle when he had surrounded the British forces and cut off their own supply lines, he declared a halt, and allowed the British forces to be reinforced with fresh men and supplies, so as to ensure a fair fight was had by all.

Taratoa carried on his own person a copy of his "Orders of the Day". It was prefaced by a prayer, and at the bottom was what may have been the Christian inspiration of his code. It was the text of Romans 12:20 If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink.

Sadly, Taratoa lost his life in that Battle, as eventually the numerically superior British troops carried the day. When Taratoa's body was found on the battlefield, the troops discovered that he was carrying his "Orders of the Day" along with several pages from his Bible. Therefore, my friends, I implore you by God's mercy to offer your very selves to him; a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his acceptance.

Taratoa had always wanted to be ordained as a deacon, but Bishop Selwyn decreed that he should remain a Lay Reader. Taratoa's ministry of service and leadership was exercised amongst his own people, firstly as a school teacher, then as a builder of more schools, and then as a focus of the discontent that was building at the grossly unfair methods of land acquisition that the British settlers were using. Some of you may think that this is an extreme example of ministry and sacrifice. Not many of us will be called to give up our life in the pursuit of our ministry. It is a sobering thought, however, to recall that two years ago a wall of Westminster Abbey was dedicated to the Christian martyrs of the 20th Century, for there have been more Christian martyrs in the 20th Century than in any previous century of our history. Taratoa decided to build his fortified village, what we in New Zealand call a Pa, at Pukehinahina, just outside the Anglican mission lands, because he thought it inappropriate to fight on mission land - on land dedicated to God's work. There was a gate marking the boundary, and it thus became known as Gate Pa.

Another fierce battle was fought there, and hence my second story, linked to the first. This is another true New Zealand story, and it is commemorated in the chapel of Lichfield Palace, the home of the Bishop of Lichfield in the Church of England. There is a stained glass window there, which recalls the bravery of a Maori woman named Heni Te Kirikaramu during the battle of Gate Pa. On 29 April 1864 over three hundred Maori barricaded themselves in two adjacent hilltop fortresses at Gate Pa, surrounded by 1500 better armed British troops. The day in the Pa, as always, began with karakia, with Christian prayers. Then the fighting erupted. Twice during that day the British almost succeeded in breaching the walls of the fort, but each time they fell back to their own lines, leaving many of their comrades dead or wounded on the battlefield. The rest of this story is best told in Heni's own words, as she survived the battle and spent the rest of a long life as an Anglican Mission worker. Heni Te Kirikaramu was in the Pa, as part of the Maori fighting forces:

Towards evening I heard a wounded man calling for water several times and his repeated calls aroused my compassion. I slung my gun in front of me by means of a leather strap. I said to my brother, "I am going to give that Pakeha water." He wondered at me. I sprang up from the trench, ran quickly in the direction of our Hangi (an earth oven), where we had left water in small tin cans, but found them gone. I then crossed to another direction where I knew a larger vessel was, an old nail can, with the top knocked in and no handle. It was full of water. I seized it, poured out about half of the water, and with silent prayer as I turned, ran towards the wounded man. The bullets were coming thick and fast. I soon reached him. He was rolling on his back and then on his side. I said "here is water; will you drink?" He said "Oh yes. " I lifted his head on my knees and gave him drink. He drank twice, saying to me "God bless you." This was Colonel Booth, as I judged from his uniform and appearance� While I was giving him the water I heard another wounded man begging of me to give him water also. I took the water to him and gave him drink, and another wounded man close by tried to crawl over for a drink. I gave him drink, took the can and placed it by Colonel Booth�s side, and I sprang back to my brother, feeling thankful indeed at being again at his side.

Heni was later to recount how Wiremu Taratoa's battle orders and his insistence on following the Christian code had influenced her. "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink".

The Land Wars in New Zealand and the use of British troops, were justified in Britain by repeating the myth that the battles were being waged against heathen natives. Henare Wiremu Taratoa and Heni Te Kirikaramu, as products of the first Anglican Mission schools, carried their Christian faith, and their Christian convictions with them, and thus give the lie to that kind of propaganda. Truth is always the first victim of war. But it was from this kind of crucible that the New Zealand Church emerged. Relationships to this day between Maori and Pakeha are marked by strong challenges and courageous leadership. On the site of the Battle of Gate Pa, there is now an Anglican Church, with a striking memorial to those who died in that battle, and commemorating the bravery and Christian ministry of mercy and compassion under fire of Heni Te Kirikaramu...