Disruptive Repentance: Protesting in the Morning Service at Waitangi in 1983

In 1983 on Waitangi Day, nine Pākehā Christian protesters (including Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and Baptist ministers) were arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour for interrupting the morning church service at Waitangi. In solidarity with Māori activists and wider protests, they sought to draw attention to the longstanding failure of the New Zealand Government and Pākehā society to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi. These Christians interrupted the service of national celebration by reading from the Old Testament prophets and offering prayers of repentance. Drawing on archival research and interviews, this article tells the story of this protest action and its impact.