Rātana () is a
Māori Christian church
In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus Christ. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a syn ...
and movement, headquartered at
Rātana Pā near
Whanganui, New Zealand. The Rātana movement began in 1918, when
Tahupōtiki Wiremu (T. W.) Ratana claimed to experience
visions, and began a mission of
faith healing
Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healin ...
. In 1925 the Ratana Church was formed, and on 25 January 1928—T. W.'s 55th birthday, and "Rātana Day"—the church's iconic temple, ('the holy temple of
Jehovah
Jehovah () is a Romanization, Latinization of the Hebrew language, Hebrew , one Tiberian vocalization, vocalization of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), the proper name of the God in Judaism, God of Israel in the Hebrew BibleOld Testament. The Tetr ...
') was opened. From its beginning and through to the 20th century, the church has pursued political goals, and still welcomes political leaders to the
Rātana Pā annually on Ratana's birthday. In the
2018 New Zealand census
The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census.
Resu ...
, 43,821 people identified with the religion.
Initially performing his healing from his family farm, Ratana did not regard his movement as a distinct church, and encouraged his followers to remain with their churches. He received mixed opinions from other Christian leaders, some of whom disliked that he was referred to as the , or the 'mouthpiece' of God, while others were pleased at his renouncement of
traditional Māori religion and .
Ratana and his followers were interested in a
political movement
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...
alongside a spiritual one, and Ratana was known to talk of the
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
in his right hand, and the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
in his left. This political attitude was made clear by 1924, when Ratana led a delegation to Europe to present a petition to
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
George was born during the reign of his pa ...
on the topic of Māori land confiscations and the treaty. From 1928, and the opening of the church's temple, T. W. had suggested that his own attention would turn away from the church, and his focus would be more fully on politics. This coincided with controversy around Ratana himself, but he was largely unable to extricate himself from the matters of the church, and without a suitable replacement, he remained as the church's leader.
In a
1932 by-election, Rātana had its first candidate,
Eruera Tirikatene, elected to parliament for the
Southern Maori electorate, and by 1943 had captured all four of the
Māori seats—a monopoly it would hold until 1963. By 1931, Rātana had established an alliance with the
Labour Party, and Rātana members of parliament consistently backed Labour. In 1936 this alliance was formalised, and Rātana members joined Labour. In the early 2000s, members of other parties began attending Rātana Day, which is now seen as the beginning of New Zealand's political year.
History
T. W. Ratana's grandfather Ngahina was a signatory of the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
for the tribes of Ngā Wairiki and
Ngāti Apa. Ngahina was a sheep and cattle station owner,
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
and pro-government loyalist.
Rātana's mother was
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
.
Impacts on Māori in 1918 included land loss,
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and the
Spanish flu epidemic.
After the epidemic Rātana was the only male heir of his grandfather.
On 8 November 1918 Rātana saw a vision, which he regarded as divinely inspired, asking him to preach the
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
to the
Māori people
Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, c ...
and to cure the spirits and bodies of his people.
Mere Rikiriki had an influence on Rātana and the Rātana movement. Rikiriki taught Rātana and he often consulted her. She had been at
Parihaka
Parihaka is a community in the Taranaki region of New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori people, Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre ...
with
Te Whiti o Rongomai
Te Whiti o Rongomai III ( – 18 November 1907) was a Māori people, Māori spiritual leader and founder of the village of Parihaka, in New Zealand's Taranaki Region, Taranaki region.
A proponent of nonviolence, Te Whiti established Parihaka ...
and
Tohu Kākahi, had established her own church in
Parewanui and was a faith healer and
rongoā practitioner.
Rikiriki foretold the coming of a new prophet in 1912 that she confirmed was Rātana.
Te Urumanao Ngāpaki Baker was a Māori chief and supported the Rātana movement and was Rātana's wife.
''Ture Wairua'' (spiritual mission)
The church's spiritual laws are itemised as the
Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
(the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) as well as adding , 'the Holy and Faithful Angels' and (God's Word and Wisdom) to prayers. As well as the
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
, the church relies on their "Blue Book" for church services, which includes hymns and prayers written by T. W. Ratana.
Until 1924 Ratana preached to increasingly large numbers of Māori and established a name for himself as the "Māori Miracle Man". At first, the movement was seen as a
Christian revival
Christian revival is defined as "a period of unusual blessing and activity in the life of the Christian Church". Proponents view revivals as the restoration of the Church to a vital and fervent relationship with God after a period of moral decl ...
, but it soon moved away from mainstream churches. On 31 May 1925, ''Te Haahi Rātana'', the Rātana Church, was established, and its founder was acknowledged in the Church's doctrine as the bearer of ''Te Mangai'' or God's Word and Wisdom. On 21 July 1925, the constitution of the Rātana Church was accepted by the Registrar-General and a list of "apostles" (ministers) who were authorised to conduct marriages was published in the ''
New Zealand Gazette
The ''New Zealand Gazette'' (), commonly referred to as ''Gazette'', is the official newspaper of record the New Zealand Government (government gazette), serving as the medium by which decisions of Government are promulgated. Published since ...
''.
''Ture Tangata'' (secular movement)
In 1924 a group of 38 people including Rātana and his wife Te Urumanao Ngāpaki Baker and spokesperson
Pita Moko journeyed to Europe to unsuccessfully present a petition to
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
George w ...
and the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
on land confiscations and the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
.
Later trips were made to the United States and Canada. These trips were not without controversy. The New Zealand Government acted to prevent the petition being presented to the monarch, and the visit to Japan on the way back from Europe created allegations of disloyalty and of flying the Japanese flag over the church settlement of
Rātana Pā.
When the Rātana temple ('the holy temple of Jehovah') which Rātana saw as embodying in its architecture deep Biblical truths (especially the two magnificent bell towers) was opened on 25 January 1928 by Japanese Bishop
Juji Nakada (with whom Ratana and party had stayed in 1924), Rātana declared his spiritual work was complete and church apostles and officers would take on the work.
He now turned more to political work for Māori in New Zealand.
''Koata'' (political movement)
As early as 1923, Rātana had declared an interest in party politics, and his eldest son
Haami Tokouru Rātana had stood for the
Western Maori electorate as an independent candidate. Now Rātana was determined to capture the
Māori electorates
In Politics of New Zealand, New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially known as the Māori seats (), are a special category of New Zealand electorates, electorate that give Reserved political positions, reserved positions to repre ...
to give a voice for his movement.
In January 1928, Rātana called himself and called on four followers to be the quarters of his body and rule the land. The "first cut" was
Paraire Karaka Paikea in the north, Haami Tokouru Rātana in the west,
Pita Moko in the east, and
Eruera Tirikatene in the south. Moko was later replaced by
Tiaki Omana, in the "second cut". The covenant signed by the men promised they would not rest, and their wives separately agreed that they would go barefoot and in rags to represent the Rātana movement. All four went on to capture the Maori seats between 1932 and 1943.
Rātana candidates stood in the
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
and
1931 general elections and in the 1930 by-election in Western Maori following the death of
Maui Pomare, but they did not succeed. The first Rātana movement MP was
Eruera Tirikatene, elected in a by-election for
Southern Maori in June 1932. He was followed by
Haami Tokouru Rātana (known as Toko) in
Western Maori in the
1935 general election. In the
1938 election, the third Māori electorate of
Northern Maori was captured by
Paraire Karaka Paikea, and the last (
Eastern Maori) was won by
Tiaki Omana in the
1943 election.
The Rātana Independent Members of Parliament were the first to represent a political party in which most party members were Māori. Major aims of the movement were statutory recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi, righting the confiscation grievances of the Māori people, and equality in social welfare for Māori.
Politicians usually attend the Rātana marae to take part in celebrations marking T.W. Ratana's birthday and in January 2023 it was the 150th anniversary. The political party leaders who attended on this occasion were
Labour,
National,
Māori Party,
New Zealand First and one co-leader of
Greens. Commentator
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait stated the message from Māori speakers to the politicians were: "They want to have relationships that are more than transactional and they are not interested in politics and politicians that stir up fear."
Alliance with the Labour Party
Following the formation of the
First Labour Government in 1935, the two Rātana MPs agreed to vote with Labour. This alliance was formalised with the Rātana movement joining the
Labour Party in a meeting between Rātana and Prime Minister
Michael Savage on 22 April 1936. The Prime Minister was given four symbolic gifts: a potato, a broken gold watch, a
pounamu
Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture.
Name
The Māori word ...
hei-tiki
The hei-tiki (, ) is an ornamental pendant of the Māori of New Zealand. Hei-tiki are usually made of pounamu ( greenstone), and are considered a taonga (treasure) by Māori. They are commonly called '' tiki'' by New Zealanders, a term th ...
, and a
huia feather. The potato represented loss of Māori land and means of sustenance, the broken watch represented the broken promises of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the pounamu represented the
mana
Mana may refer to:
Religion and mythology
* Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology
* Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...
of the Māori people. If Savage could restore these three, he would earn the right to wear the huia feather to signify his chiefly status. The gifts were regarded as so precious they were buried with Savage at his state funeral in 1940.
The four Māori electorates were held by Rātana-affiliated members of Labour for decades: until 1963 for the Eastern Maori electorate, 1980 for Northern Maori, and 1996 for Western and Southern Maori electorates. Not all Labour Party Māori MPs have been members of the Rātana Church, but all Māori electorates were held by Labour MPs who had at least been endorsed by the church until
Tau Henare
Raymond Tau Henare (born 29 September 1960) is a former New Zealand Māori people, Māori parliamentarian. In representing three different political parties in parliament—New Zealand First, Mauri Pacific and the New Zealand National Party, Na ...
won Northern Maori in the
1993 New Zealand general election.
In both the parliaments of 1946–1948 and 1957–1960, the formation of a Labour Government depended on the votes of the Rātana Movement members.
Rātana movement Members of Parliament have included
Tapihana Paraire Paikea, Haami Tokouru Rātana,
Matiu Rātana,
Iriaka Rātana,
Koro Wētere,
Paraone Reweti,
Matiu Rata, and
Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan.
Mita Ririnui, who held the Māori seat of Waiariki from 1999 to 2005 and was a
List MP from 2005 to 2011, is a Rātana minister.
Symbols
The main symbol (''tohu'') of the church is a five-pointed star and crescent moon, the ''whetū mārama'' (which means both "star and moon" and "shining star"), which is worn on the lapels of ''mōrehu'' (the scattered remnant, Rātana followers) and at pivotal points on church buildings. The golden or blue crescent moon (symbolising enlightenment) can face different parts of the coloured star: blue represents Te Matua (The Father), white is Te Tama (The Son), red is Te Wairua Tapu (The Holy Spirit), purple is Ngā Anahera Pono (The Faithful Angels) and gold/yellow is Te Māngai (The Mouthpiece (of Jehovah), Ture Wairua), although this colour is sometimes replaced with pink, representing PiriWiriTua (The Campaigner (of Political Matters), Ture Tangata). ''Te Whetū Mārama'' represents the kingdom of light or ''Māramatanga'', standing firm against the forces of darkness (''mākutu'').
Membership
Church adherents are known as , the 'remnants'. In the 2001 census, 48,975 New Zealand residents were affiliated with the Rātana church.
In the
2018 New Zealand census
The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census.
Resu ...
, 43,821 people identified with the religion.
Church leaders
*
Tahupotiki Wiremu Rātana (1925–1939)
*
Haami Tokouru Rātana (1939–1944)
*
Matiu Rātana (1944–1950)
*
Puhi o Aotea Ratahi (1950–1966)
*
Maata "Te Reo" Hura (1966–1991)
*
Raniera Te Aohou Rātana (1991–1998)
*
Harerangi Meihana (1998–2022)
*
Manuao Te Kohamutunga Tamou (2023–Incumbent)
See also
*
Ringatū, another Māori Christian denomination, established by Te Kooti in the 19th century
References
Further reading
Books
* Henderson, J. McLeod (1963). ''Ratana: The Origins and the Story of the Movement''. Polynesian Society.
* Henderson, J. McLeod (1972). ''Ratana: The Man, The Church, The Political Movement'' (2nd ed.). A.H & A.W. Reed in association with the Polynesian Society. . 2nd ed. of Henderson (1963).
*
Newman, Keith (2006). ''Ratana Revisited: An Unfinished Legacy''. Reed. .
* Newman, Keith (2009). ''Ratana the Prophet''. Raupo-Penguin. . A condensed version of Newman (2006).
Other
* Hebert, D. G. (2008). Music Transculturation and Identity in a Maori Brass Band Tradition. In R. Camus & B. Habla, (Eds.), ''Alta Musica'', 26 (pp. 173–200). Tutzing: Schneider.
* Newman, Keith (2002)
A Sleeping Giant*
* Westra, Ans (1963)
External links
Te Haahi Ratana: The Official Website of the Ratana Established Church of New Zealandby Arahi R. Hagger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratana
*
Māori politics
New Zealand Labour Party
Māori organisations
Māori political parties in New Zealand
Māori religion
Indigenous Christianity
Political movements in New Zealand
Christian denominations in New Zealand
Christian political parties in New Zealand
Supernatural healing