Quote by Papahurihia: “The old ways are fading; a new path must be forged for the Māori.”

This observation acknowledges the transformative impact of colonization and calls for adaptation, suggesting that while traditional ways are threatened, a new spiritual and cultural direction is necessary for Māori survival and continuity.

Experiencing profound societal changes due to Pākehā arrival and the introduction of new technologies and beliefs, Papahurihia sought to re-establish Māori spiritual authority through new movements and adaptations of tradition.

Māori tohupu (religious leader and prophet) active in northern New Zealand in the 1830s who founded the Pai Mārire precursor movement and blended Christian and traditional Māori beliefs into a new religious and political tradition. He was among the earliest Māori voices to articulate a theology of indigenous land sovereignty against European settlement.