Crown apology for historical Māori injustice

A town that had become the symbol of government injustice towards Māori will on Friday get an apology they've waited more than 130 years for.

In 1881 more than 1000 government troops invaded Parihaka, after years of peaceful resistance to the Crown's land confiscation.

Hundreds of their men were sent to prison in Dunedin, while women, children, and the elderly remained behind in the Mt Taranaki community under military rule.

While tomorrow's long overdue Crown apology is being greeted with hope, it's also being named Te Haeata, which means "the new dawn" - a time for the people of Parihaka to move forward while never forgetting the past.

Newshub.