Redemption and Resistance: Lessons in Non-Violent Action from Early Aotearoa/New Zealand

• Main Author: MACDUFF, Ian
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2010
• Subjects: Passive resistance; New Zealand; non-violence; redemption; Civil Rights and Discrimination; Dispute Resolution and Arbitration; Law and Politics
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/949; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/1948/viewcontent/RedemptionResistance_Lessons_2010.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This article provides a brief account of the non-violent resistance of two Maori chiefs, Te Whiti and Tohu, in 19th century New Zealand. Each example of such non-violent or passive resistance is unique to its historical and cultural context; but at the same time there is a tangible common ground between this example and those found elsewhere, such as Martin Luther King and Gandhi. This article will also draw a link between the politics of acts of resistance – in this case, resistance to the forceful acquisition of Maori land – and faith-based justifications. In conclusion, it will be suggested that, despite the apparent failure of resistance, because of the arrest and imprisonment of resisters, there are key ways in which such resistance succeeds.