How a pacifist philosophy led to the near-extinction of the indigenous Moriori people

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1835, hundreds of Māori warriors invaded the Chatham Islands, home to the Moriori. Despite outnumbering the invaders two-to-one, the Moriori chose to uphold a centuries-old law of non-violence. The result was a devastating campaign of murder, enslavement, and cultural erasure that nearly wiped out an entire population.

The Moriori, the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands, had developed a distinct culture isolated from mainland New Zealand. Following a period of internal conflict, the chief Nunuku-whenua established a strict pacifist philosophy in the 16th century known as Nunuku's Law. By the early 19th century, this moral imperative was deeply embedded in their society.

In 1835, two Māori iwi from Taranaki, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama, arrived on the islands after being displaced by the Musket Wars. Armed with modern weaponry, they quickly declared the Moriori their vassals. When the Moriori convened a council of 1,000 people to discuss their response, the younger generation advocated for war, but the elders insisted on maintaining their pacifist tradition. The invaders interpreted this meeting as a war council and launched a pre-emptive, brutal attack.

The consequences were catastrophic. Around 300 Moriori were murdered, and hundreds more were enslaved. The invaders enforced a regime that forbade the Moriori language, desecrated sacred sites, and prohibited marriage and childbirth. Between 1835 and 1863, the population plummeted from approximately 1,650 to just over 100, exacerbated by European-introduced diseases. Even after the British released them from slavery in 1863, the Native Land Court in 1870 denied their land rights, ruling that their conquest by Māori invalidated their ownership.

For decades, the Moriori were wrongly perceived as extinct or as a separate race that had occupied New Zealand before the Māori. These myths were challenged by a 1980 documentary and subsequent legal recognition. In 2001, the Waitangi Tribunal validated the Moriori as the original inhabitants of the Chatham Islands, leading to a 2020 parliamentary settlement that included $18 million in compensation and the restoration of significant lands.

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