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A Māori Missionary's Rules for War Inspired Ria Hall's New Album

In 1864, Henare Taratoa set down compassionate conditions for battle, then took part in a great victory over the British.
Ria Hall.

War isn't usually something that's defined by compassion, kindness or restraint, but one moment in New Zealand history is a reminder that it's possible. On March 10 1864, Henare Taratoa (Ngai Te Rangi) sent a letter to the first Governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey, outlining a code of conduct for The Battle of Gate Pā (Pukehinahina), which became known as one of the key battles of the New Zealand Wars when heavily outnumbered Māori soldiers secured a major victory over the British military.

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The battle would prove to be an embarrassing loss for the British force. It resulted in 35 of their soldiers being killed and another 75 left wounded. The land wars continued two months later at Te Ranga, but this time the British military would come up victorious. The death toll on the Māori side numbered over 100. Among the dead was Taratoa. A copy of his rules of conduct was found on his body.

Henare Taratoa. Image Alexander Turnbull Library.

It's believed that 3,000 people were killed during the New Zealand Wars of the 1800s, with Māori suffering the most losses. This Saturday, marks the first time that this history will be commemorated with a national day, thanks to a petition by Otorohanga students. All of a sudden we're hearing more stories like the letter from Henare Taratoa—known as the Rules of Engagement—which declared that captured soldiers would not be killed and unarmed Pākehā, women and children would be spared.

"There was so much compassion and a sense of maintaining one's mana and integrity in a predicament that asks you to murder and to pillage and to plunder," singer Ria Hall told VICE.

More than 150 years on, the letter is the primary inspiration behind Hall's debut album, Rules of Engagement. Born and bred in Tauranga, Hall grew up learning about the stories of the battles from both sides. First came the British perspective that was taught to her in school, but as she got older, Hall ended up learning about her own people's history and their involvement in the New Zealand wars.

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Tauranga circa 1864. Image Alexander Turnbull Library.

She was drawn to the Rules of Engagement because of the perspective that Taratoa took in the face of war. Then when former drummer for Wellington's Trinity Roots, Riki Gooch, suggested over dinner that she focus her new music around a concept, she knew exactly what would work.

"That was why I chose the letter as the foundation for the album. It was interesting to write to. Compassion, love, fear, vulnerability, strength, resilience, resolve: all those kinds of emotions are very present in the letter and around the subsequent battles that happened as well. I just found it to be a really powerful space to create from."

Gate Pa, Pukehinahina ridge, during the NZ Wars circa 1864. Image Alexander Turnbull Library.

Part of that, says Hall, also comes down to the fact that the code laid out in the Rules of Engagement letter still holds plenty of relevance when it comes to the state of the nation today.

"Us being compassionate, learning about understanding, having empathy, having love: I think all of that is extremely relevant, even more so now because it's a tough time to live. We find ourselves in extremely vulnerable spaces in this day and age. Homelessness runs rampant in our society, the working poor, the housing crisis and people not being able to afford to live. It's kind of crazy. We live in very tough times."

Hall says that there's definitely aspects of the album that are politically-driven, but for the most part it's about our social and cultural vernacular in New Zealand. "I really wanted to speak to those topics," she says. "'Tell Me', a song I did with Che Fu, is a great of example of it where we speak directly to holding people accountable for what they say they're going to do. I think that the people that are in power have a lot to answer for."

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For those not familiar with the role that people like Henare Taratoa played in New Zealand history, Hall is hoping that the album will help to give people a sense of pride in the space we live in and encourage us to resolve our differences through understanding the past.

"I think it would be so valuable for our kids to learn all facets of our history. The good and the bad. I just think it's a really important aspect for us as New Zealanders because understanding is so important. You can't understand yourself if you don't understand your own history."

Check out Ria's album here.

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