Pai Marire (goodness and peace) was one of several Maori Christian faiths to emerge in the 19th century. Like many others, it was closely tied to issues of land and politics.
The ritual killing by Pai Marire followers of missionary Carl Völkner in 1865 shocked many people. The government used the event as a reason to take harsh action against Pai Marire in general.
The Pai Marire religion divided Maori. Some supported it, but others mistrusted its political intent. Events on the Whanganui River in 1864 showed the conflict about the faith among Maori.
In 1862 Te Ua Haumene established a new
religion, Hauhau based on the principle of pai marire – goodness and
peace. Most settlers viewed Hauhau as a anti-European
religion that became synonymous with ‘violence, fanaticism and
barbarism’.
On
2 March 1865 Carl Völkner, a German-born missionary, was hanged from
a willow tree near his church at Opotiki. His death was attributed to the
followers of a new religion, Pai Marire, who suspected Völkner of spying for
the government.
