8 Nov 2018
Thousands gather to commemorate 100 years of Rātana Church
The small remote Māori settlement of Rātana Pā is expected to swell to more than 10,000 people today to mark 100 years of the Rātana faith. Māori leaders and Rātana followers from around the country have been pouring into the pā. Yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave the church four gifts, including a bible and eight harakeke bushes, amid the celebrations, to acknowledge the alliance between Labour and Rātana. RNZ Māori news correspondent Leigh-Marama McLachlan is at Rātana Pā.