Appeal to change Christchurch road name over dark history

A group of students is leading the charge to change the name of Christchurch's Rolleston Avenue, because of the dark history associated with its name sake. The Hagley College students have appealed to the city council to ditch the street name and get rid of a statue of William Rolleston. In 1881, Rolleston, the Native Affairs Minister, ordered hundreds of British troops to invade the Māori settlement of Parihaka in Taranaki. During the invasion village women were raped, men were attacked and occupants kicked off their land. In 2017 the government officially apologised for atrocities committed during the ransacking of Parihaka. Christchurch City Councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt, who whakapapas to Te Atiawa, a group among the Māori living at Parihaka, spoke to Lisa Owen.