On this day in 1881, the Māori settlement Parihaka in Taranaki, was invaded.
About 1600 troops marched onto the village and were greeted by children while several thousand villagers sat quietly singing on the marae.
Parihaka's leaders were arrested and the village was destroyed.
Dr Rachel Buchanan is a New Zealand historian based in Melbourne who has family links to Parihaka
Dr Rachel Buchanan wrote the book Ko Taranaki te Maunga, published by BWB Books. Photo: RNZ/Justine Murray
