ABSTRACT
Numerous myths abound about the Moriori people of Rēkohu, a South Pacific archipelago east of New Zealand. This chapter investigates two of them: the ‘pre-Māori myth’ that Moriori predated Māori as an autochthonous people of mainland New Zealand and the ‘alt-right myth’ that Moriori prove the folly of pacifism. These myths show the long history of post-truth narratives. The pre-Māori myth was taught for decades as historical fact in New Zealand schools and persists today as rhetoric to deny Māori indigeneity, while alt-right actors overseas cherry-pick Moriori history to prosecute arguments about Western civilisation and the dangers of pacifism. The vitality of mythmaking about Moriori demonstrates that simple presentation of historical facts is insufficient to quash emotive post-truth claims, which are resilient; their proponents are even able to repurpose these facts to suit their agenda. The networks through which information is disseminated are crucial, and more sophisticated critical skills and engagement are necessary to defeat post-truth appeals.
