Annandale Past and Present 1839-1900
Chapter VI. — The Wairau Massacre
Chapter VI.
The Wairau Massacre.
On the 16th of June, 1843, about three months after the arrival of Messrs. Sinclair and Hay in Pigeon Bay, the Wairau massacre took place: an event which convulsed the young colony with horror, and tilled all hearts with dread forebodings. It was an act of treachery on the part of the Maoris, as the white men had laid down their arms, believing the dispute was over. The quarrel arose through the white people carrying out their designs with a high hand, and, in spite of the protestations of the Maoris, appropriating their lauds and insisting on surveying them, without first securing the right by purchase or barter, It was foolhardy in the extreme for a small party of white men to place themselves in the power of those tribes of Maoris in their own domain, especially so, to act in the unwise, hut-headed manner they did. The matter might have been amicably arranged, as many other similar disputes were, but for an unfortunate accident, the result probably of carelessness or ill-timed bravado. A chance shot fired by one of the Englishmen killed Te Rongo, wife of Rangi-Heata, who was so enraged that he exclaimed to his father-in-law, the old chief Te Rauparaha, "Remember page 73your daughter," and so obtained his tacit consent to the wholesale slaughter of their prisoners.
To quote from a letter of Mr. Hay's to his brother Robert, dated January 26th, 1844—"The Chief Rangi-Heata with his own hand clubbed to death 22 of our most enterprising Colonists, among whom was Captain Wakefield, brother of Colonel Wakefield. The Chief got them all tied and laid in a row, and then he commenced at one end and went to the other with his tomahawk, splitting open all their heads. When he came to Captain Wakefield, the latter offered £200 to the chief to save his life, but it had no effect, as he took off Captain Wakefield's head, and, holding it up in his hands, exclaimed, 'here goes the man of £200!' If Government does not punish them for such an act there will be no living here."
We can imagine the effect of these horrible details on the minds of our settlers, especially as the old chief, Te Rauparaha, is the same whose name was the terror of the Peninsula Maoris some eight or ten years before this time. He it was who then conquered and destroyed Kaiapoi—or to be quite correct, Kaiapoiha—which was under siege for six months, during which time the Peninsula Maoris were in dread suspense, having reason to believe Rauparaha was bent on their conquest next. It happened as they feared, for Rauparaha's fleet of war canoes was seen sailing up Akaroa harbour one fine morning. The natives foolishly chose the small peninsula of Onawe as their fortress, a place in all respects unsuitable to withstand a siege. The atrocities committed there are too harrowing to relate; suffice it to say that Onawe, which forms one of the many beautiful features of Akaroa Harbour, is renowned in New Zealand history as the scene of one of the greatest Maori massacres on record. Full details of these Maori tribal wars are given in "Tales of Banks' Peninsula," contributed by Canon Stack, also by Mr. W. L. Travers in his "Life and Times of Te Rauparaha," and in "Brett's History of New Zealand," &c.
page 75Various versions of the Wairau massacre are given in Brett's History also, most of which differ somewhat in detail. Mr. Hay's account being derived from rumour only, may be in parts scarcely correct, though it agrees in the main with the others. The writer has been fortunate enough since writing the foregoing to find another narrative, which is worth giving, as it is an important event in the history of New Zealand, and gives a graphic picture of Maori character. We shall give the story, quoted partly from "Picturesque Atlas," as briefly as possible, especially in the parts that of necessity are a repetition of the facts already given.
Captain Hobson, first Governor of New Zealand, died in September, 1842, of a paralytic seizure, aged 49.* His "Treaty of Waitangi" was described as "a Christian mode of commencing the Colonization of New Zealand." His wise administration won Maori hearts, as the following letter to the Queen from Te Whero Whero, the then future Maori King, will show. It is short, but to the point:—"Mother Victoria,—My subject is a Governor for the Maori and Pakeha in this Island. Let him be a good man. Look out for a good man, a man of judgment. Let not a troubler come here. Let not a boy come here, nor one puffed up. Let him be a good man, as the one who has just died." Lieutenant Shortland, Colonial Secretary, assumed the duties of Governor until the arrival of Captain Fitzroy, the new Governor. During Lieutenant Shortland's rule the Wairau massacre took place.
* Captain Hobson's monument is the City of Auckland, where he died, and which grew into a prosperous capital over his remains.
In reference to Te Ronga's death we have found that there is a difference of opinion. Mr. Alfred Saunders, in his History of New Zealand, gives a different version of that part of the story, which we take the liberty of quoting:—"In the confusion one of the defective muskets went off. Many writers have asserted that this unbidden shot was the shot which killed Te Ronga, wife of Rangi-Heata and daughter of Rauparaha, but this is entirely a fiction. The defective musket went off on the shoulder of a man crossing in the canoe in a direction too high to kill anyone, and in the opposite direction to that occupied by the Maoris Te Ronga was killed by a second volley, intentionally fired, before Captain Wakefield's party recrossed in the canoe. The brave and devoted wife is said to have placed herself in front of the big chief, and so to have received in her own person the ball which might so much more appropriately have struck down her savage husband."
The result was the same, however. All writers agree that Te Ronga's death roused the worst passions of her warlike husband, whose one desire was to be revenged on the pakehas who had caused it, and were unfortunately in his power.
The Company's agents and settlers were anxious to avenge the death of their friends, but Lieutenant Shortland, who held a tight rein on Government, reserved the question of punishment for the consideration of Captain Hobson's successor. Lieutenant Shortland's administration was beset with difficulties, but firmness and sagacity preserved the peace of the colony. A general feeling prevailed that the Governor pro tem. was entitled to the lasting gratitude of the Home Government and Colonists for the able manner in which he conducted the affairs of New Zealand. A petition was sent to Her Majesty, page 79signed by 700 settlers, to enquire into the condition of the Colony, so that the new Governor was aware of all that happened before leaving England.
Captain Fitzroy reached Wellington in July, 1844, and proceeded to Nelson, where he publicly rebuked the Magistrates who had signed the warrant for the arrest of Te Rauparaha and Te Rangi-Heata, telling them that "arson" was burning another man's house, while the natives, in burning the hut used by the surveyors, had only burned their own property. Further, that the natives had never sold Wairau. Several of the Magistrates thus rebuked immediately resigned their commissions. From Nelson the Governor went to the northern side of Cook's Straits to visit Rauparaha at his home in Waikanae. He was accompanied by Mr. Forsaith—afterwards Premier, and at that time sub-protector of the native population—as interpreter. At the interview there were several Europeans and about 500 natives present. Te Rauparaha was seated close to the Governor's chair, and Te Rangi-Heata on the outer portion of the semi-circle formed by the natives. Captain Fitzroy told them that he had heard the European version, and he was there to hear the Maori side of the story. Te Rauparaha was invited to speak, which he did reluctantly. He said the land was the cause of the dispute, it not having been purchased from the rightful owners, and he told how he had warned the Company's servants not to occupy it; also that Mr. Thompson twice ordered his party to fire on the natives, and when, after having been made a prisoner, he appealed to him to save his life, Rangi-Heata bade him remember his wife, Te Rongo, and added—"A little while ago I wanted to talk to you in (??) friendly manner, and you would not; now you say, 'save me'—I will not save you."
page 80When Te Rauparaha had ended his story, the Governor spent about half-an-hour in consultation with the Europeans, after which he rose and said: "Hearken, Oh, Chiefs and elder men, to my decision. In the first place, the pakehas were in the wrong; they had no right to build houses upon the land, the sale of which you disputed, and on which Mr. Spain (a Commissioner of Lands sent out in December, 1841) had not decided; they were wrong in trying to apprehend you, who had committed no crime. … As they were greatly to blame, and as they brought on and began the fight, and as you were hurried into crime by their misconduct, I will not avenge their deaths." He further told them that a terrible crime had been committed in murdering men who, relying on their honour, had surrendered. They must live peaceably. He would do equal justice to them and to the Colonists, and promised that no land should be taken from them which they had not sold.
* The battle referred to was one of the last of the tribal wars, and had been fought the same morning that Mr. Wakefield's party met Rauparaha. Mr. Travers thus describes it:—"On the 16th November, 1839, the ship 'Tory' reached Kapiti, and Colonel Wakefield was informed that a sanguinary battle had just been fought near Waikanae on that morning, between large forces of the Ngatiawa on one side, and of the Ngatiraukawa tribe on the other. This fight is commonly known as the "kirititonga," and was caused by a renewal, at the funeral obsequies of Rauparaha's sister, Waitohi, of the land feuds between the two tribes. Rauparaha took no part iL this battle." Mr. Wakefield and a party went off in a boat to see the field of battle, the surgeons taking instruments with them, when a message reached them from Te Rauparaha desiring to meet Colonel Wakefield.
Mr. Travers had scarcely such a bad opinion of the old Chief, as we shall see. He says: "Master as he was of all the treacherous arts practised by the Maori warrior, and ruthlessly as his designs were carried out, and fearful as the results may have been, it must be remembered that he was doing no more than his great countrymen, E-Hongi, Waharoa, Te Whero Whero, and other leading Chiefs, who, during the same period, carried on wars in various parts of the islands. Those who knew Te Whero Whero Potatau will recall the peculiar dignity of his manner, and certainly no one would have supposed that the tall, graceful-looking man in the full dress of an English gentleman, who conversed with quiet ease with those whom he met in the drawing-rooms of Government House at Auckland, was the same person as the savage, who sat naked on the ground at Pukerangiora, smashing the skulls of hundreds of defenceless prisoners, until he was almost smothered with blood and brains. Nor can I believe that Rauparaha was ever guilty of the treacherous conduct towards his own people with which he is charged by Mr. Wakefield: Their love and respect for him were very great, and the influence he acquired with such men as Te Heu-Heu and Whatanui indicates that he possessed the highest qualities as a Chief." …
* The word "mana" has various shades of meaning. It can hardly be literally translated, as no single English word fully expresses its significance—ceremony, prestige, influence, dignity, virtue, power, sanctity, luck. It may mean either, according to the sense in which it is used; yet none of the above words exactly express in English what "mana" is in Maori.
When Rauparaha got the documents translated to him, and learned that all his land at Wairau had passed away from him for a big gun, he was very angry, and in the words of his son, "He tore up the documents and threw them into the fire, also the documents held by the Chiefs of Ngatitoa at Kapiti, and Ngatitoa of the other island. When Captain Wakefield arrived, and the settlements of Wellington and Nelson were formed, he (Wakefield) went to Wairoa for the purpose of surveying. Rauparaha did not consent, as he had not been paid for it, since he had been deceived by Captain Peringatapu. … Trouble and wrong was caused by the hurried attack of Wakefield and party upon Rauparaha. It was not his desire that the Europeans should be killed; Rangi-Heata was misled by his own foolish thought and want of attention to what Rauparaha had said. … When Wakefield and party were dead, Rauparaha rose and said, 'Harken, Te Rangi-Heata, I will now leave you, as you have set aside my tikanga (advice); those of the Europeans that have been killed suffice, let the others live.' Rangi-Heata replied, 'What about your daughter?' Rauparaha answered, 'Why should not that daughter die?' and then added, 'Now I will embrace Christianity and turn to God, who has preserved me from the hands of the Europeans.' This was the time he embraced Christianity. I was absent when the fight took place at Wairau, having gone to preach at Ngaitahu. I went as far as Rakaia. I was there one year, and was the first person that went there to preach. It was on this account my father did not go there to fight. … Te Rauparaha was afterwards taken prisoner by Governor Grey at Porirua without sufficient pretext. A letter was written by someone, to which his name was signed, it was page 85sent to the Chiefs of Patutokotoku at Wanganui, and it is said that Mamaku and Rangi-Heata wrote it and signed Rauparaha's name to give it force. I was at school at this time with Bishop Selwyn at Auckland, together with my wife Ruth, and did not see my father's capture. When I returned and arrived in Wellington, I went on board the "Calliope," man-of-war, in which my father was a prisoner, to see him. We cried together, and when we finished he said to me, "Son, go to your tribes and tell them to remain in peace. Do not pay for my arrest with evil, but only with that which is good. You must love the Europeans. There was no just cause for my having been arrested by Governor Grey. I have not murdered any Europeans, but I was arrested through the lies of the people. If I had been taken prisoner in battle it would have been well, but I was unjustly taken.' I returned on shore with Matene, and went to Porirua, where we saw Ngatitoa and Rawhiri Puaha (Chiefs). We told them the words of Rauparaha respecting good, and our living at peace. We went on to Otaki, repeating the same words. We two, at this time, caused the town of Hadfield to be built at Otaki. Two hundred of the tribe Ngatiraukawa came on to Otaki at Rangi-Heata's invitation, that they might know the thoughts of Matene and myself respecting Rauparaha. Rangi-Heata wished to destroy Wellington and kill the Europeans as a satisfaction. I told them the words of Rauparaha, that they must put an end to this foolish desire, not hearken to the 'tikanga' of Rangi-Heata, but live in peace. They consented. When Rauparaha was liberated in 1846, he urged Ngatiraukawa to build a large church in Hadfield town at Otaki. Had he not returned the church would not have been built. He had a great desire to worship the great God. He was continually worshipping until he died at Otaki on the 27th November, 1849."
page 86Mr. Travers concludes by saying:—"Such is the history of the life and times of a very remarkable man, and of habits and customs which have already become so much things of the past that in the course of another generation there will be scarcely an aboriginal native left who will have the slightest knowledge of them. Indeed, the memory of the events I have related is already becoming indistinct, even to those of the principal actors in these events who are still living."
It is because we feel so strongly the truth of Mr. Travers' last sentences above given that we have gone so fully into the history of this time and man. A few sentences more, quoted from Canon Stack's "Maori History of Banks' Peninsula," as given in the "Tales of Banks' Peninsula" (p. 53), will suffice to show that Te Rauparaha and followers really "embraced Christianity." Mr. Stack was for so many years intimately associated with the Maoris as one of their principal missionaries, or ministers, that no one could be a better judge of the people than he. When Vicar on the Peninsula, years later than this date, he became a warm friend of our family, and gave us many interesting facts of his experiences among the Maoris in the early days. In the conclusion of his history he says:—"The depopulated Peninsula would have continued without Maori inhabitants (after Onawe massacre) up to the date of colonization, but for the great change wrought in Rauparaha's warriors by Christianity. Those fierce and cruel men, having been led by the teaching of the Rev. Mr. Hadfield, the present Anglican Bishop of Wellington (this Bishop is lately deceased) to embrace Christianity, gave convincing proof of their sincerity by releasing all their Ngaitahu captives, whose compulsory labours were a great source of wealth and profit to them. But they not only gave them their freedom, they even allowed them page 87to return to their own land, and, in order to ensure them a safe reception from those who might during their enforced absence have usurped their estates, several notable northern chiefs accompanied them home. Port Levy became the principal centre, and there many important Maori gatherings took place, both before and after colonization began. It was there that Rauparaha's son and nephew spent some time instructing the people in the doctrines of Christianity, and teaching them to read and write in their own language, endeavouring as far as they could to repair the wrongs done to Ngaitahu by Rauparaha and his warriors. It was there that the northern Chiefs met Taiaroa and other influential southern Chiefs, and exchanged pledges of peace and goodwill. The re-occupation of Kaiapoi, just before the arrival of the 'Canterbury Pilgrims,' tended to thin the Maori population of this district, which was still further reduced by the fatal effects of European diseases—the inevitable result of being brought suddenly into contact with a civilization so far in advance of their own simpler modes of life."