Haret el Wasser
after Te Whiti
& Tohu
were taken away
the people
remained sitting
on the marae
I was called
by a woman
at no. 9
she had
4 soldiers there
the first time
we were paid
the second time
they refused
they left the house
the woman
banged the door
& she swore
soldiers entered
my quarter
I saw furniture
thrown
men
threw her
out of the window
forced removals
began 2 days later
men were removed
their houses
torn down
women were raped
& molested
it was just
like drafting sheep
references
“Red Blind Street.” The Battle of the Wazzer. Accessed 10 December 2014. http://user.online.be/~ snelders/wozzer/woztest.htm.
“The Taranaki Report-Kaupapa Tuatahi.” 1996. WAI 143. Muru me te Rauapatu-The Muru and Raupatu of the Taranaki Land and People. Waitangi Tribunal Report. Accessed 12 December 2014. http://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/waitangi-tribunal/Reports/wai0143.
Zealandia boasts
1 million yrs ago
God save the Queen!
our king
Tuitonga
died—
England
earth-hungry
insatiable
took
13 years
to send the flag
of Britainnia
we are
afraid
lest some other
powerful
nation
should take
possession
of our island
but why doesn’t noo zilind
take the whole bloomin lot!
the island
without fruit
the rock
stuck
& could not
be raised
it is thus
with things
done wrongly
at the present day!
yet 1100 yrs ago
Niuē has yielded
almost no return—
20 members
of Parliament
for a country
of 600
—an abuse
& responsibility
there is no realistic
possibility of Niuē
becoming a self-
sustaining economy
all hail Zealandia!
we blunder
into Empire
& somehence
1 trillion yrs
1,256 Niueans convicted
bones unchanged by moss
brave
Folitolu
Latoatama
Tamaeli
rid the land
of the tyrant
he who growls at
prisoners & warders
who growls at Tatu
to fix up
the golf holes
in Foniakula
but Noo Zilind
will help Niuē
her private sector
will grow as large
as possible
the climate is excellent
& retirees bring
a steady flow
attracting
a retirement
village operator
is a good
place to start
references
“Inquiry into New Zealand’s relationships with South Pacific countries.” Report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. December 2010.
“Our New Possessions. Something About the Islands We Have Annexed.” Evening Post. 25 October 1900, 2.
Scott, Dick. 1993. Would a good man die? Niue Island, New Zealand and the late Mr. Larsen. Auckland: Hodder & Stoughton.
Smith, Percy S. 1903. Niuē-Fekai (or Savage) Island and Its People. Christchurch: Whitcombe & Tombs.
Thomson, Basil C. 1902. Savage Island: An Account of a Sojourn in Niuē and Tonga. London: John Murray.
Orchid Tierney is a New Zealander living in Philadelphia where she attends the University of Pennsylvania. She is an enthusiast of antique furniture.
