While the seniors and Year 10s were at camp last week I thought I would tell the remaining students the story of Tārore, a young girl who lived almost 200 years ago. She is commemorated every year in the Anglican church calendar as someone who can provide inspiration to us today.

A few years ago, I was at an RE Teachers and School Chaplains Conference in the Waikato, and we got to visit Tārore’s grave. It was quite a moving experience to be on such a sacred site. What you can’t see in the photo is the Wairere Falls that are just visible from the site as a thin white ribbon against the dark hills; this is where the 12 year old Tārore was tragically killed in 1836. Her body was carried all the way to this site in the foreground where she was buried by her father. The memorial was erected by the Bible Society of NZ and unveiled by Te Ariki Nui o Ngā Tangata Māori in 1911. It has a wee open book on the cross and notes that her “Māori Gospel of Luke brought peace to the tribes of Aotearoa.”

The short story of her life is that the warrior who killed her, Paora Te Uita, took the wee kete from around her neck which held her copy of the Gospel of Luke; this copy of the gospel in te reo Māori had been published by William Colenso in 1835 at Paihia. When Paora Te Uita read the words of peace and reconciliation that Jesus spoke, he sought forgiveness from Tārore’s father, Ngākuku, Chief of the Ngāti Hauā of Tainui, who forgave him. The Good News of this Gospel of peace spread throughout Aotearoa NZ, including to the South Island.

Some of you will know the story of Tārore already, and you may have read the book written by NZ poet Joy Cowley, with paintings by Mary Glover Bibby (done in the 1920s). If you don’t (or even if you do) you might like to listen to a retelling of it by John Cowan at at this website. You may also be interested in getting the Joy Cowley book – in English or in te reo Māori – or one which includes the Gospel of Luke – from the Bible Society who have been publishing bibles in te reo Māori since 1846, and which gave free copies of Joy Cowley’s book about Tārore to schools all around NZ.

Her story is inspiring, especially in these days of conflict and strife.

Dr Gillian Townsley
Chaplain