"Though some, in darkness of heart, seeing their land ravished, might wish to take arms and kill the aggressors, I say it must not be. Let not the Pakehas think to succeed by reason of their guns ... I want not war, but they do. The flashes of their guns have singed our eyelashes, and yet they say they do not want war ... The government come not hither to reason, but go to out-of-the-way places. They work secretly, but I speak in public so that all may hear, " Te Whiti-o-Rongomai III told his people in March 1880.
You can read more of the man who was rumoured to have influenced Ghandi in his peaceful resistance. Tim Finn and the Herbs sang about Te Whiti too.
Regarding the music clip at the end of this post, Mark Bell asks the question of Little Bushman, regarding the 2009 collaboration between Little Bushman, composer/arranger Psathas and the NZ Symphony Orchestra – did he actually manage to enjoy the experience given the enormity and pressure of such an undertaking?
His reply, over on Mark's interview, made me laugh.
I am loving all this digging around and finding New Zealand music and movies I've missed.