Kāwhia harbour communities re-establish historic alliance to battle Covid-19

by Florence Kerr, Waikato Times

It's not for today. It's not for tomorrow, but it's for the generations that are coming.”

On a quiet road in rural Kāwhia, 85-year-old Te Papi Cunningham slowly raises his finger and points to an ordinary hill, nestled among others, in rolling farmland as far as the eye can see. A small lake glistens at the foot of the hill, covered with lush, green grass being trampled by a flock of meandering sheep.

There are no signposts here in Ngāti Hikairo country, nor plaques that reveal the tragic secret lying beneath the indistinct hill on Lake Road.

“The bodies of the children are there,” Cunningham says, as he swipes away a sandfly with his hat.

To read this great feature by Florence Kerr click on the link below to Stuff