Appeal to change Christchurch road name over dark history

Clarification: An earlier version of this story said William Rolleston was the Native Affairs Minister at the time of the Parihaka invasion. It was in fact John Bryce. Sir William, when he was the Native Affairs Minister, had advocated for moderation and negotiation, not invasion.

A group of students is leading the charge to change the name of Christchurch's Rolleston Avenue, because of the dark history behind it. 

The Hagley College students have appealed to the city council to ditch the street name and get rid of a statue of William Rolleston – a central figure in the Parihaka crisis.  

In 1881, Native Affairs Minister John Bryce ordered hundreds of British troops to invade the Māori settlement of Parihaka in Taranaki. During the invasion, village women were raped, men were attacked and occupants kicked off their land. 

In 2017 the government officially apologised for atrocities committed during the ransacking of Parihaka. Christchurch City Councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt, who whakapapas to Te Atiawa, a group among the Māori living at Parihaka, spoke to Lisa Owen.