East Cape War

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East Cape War
Part of New Zealand wars
Date 13 April 1865 to June 1868
Location New Zealand
Result Government victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom New Zealand Government
European settlers
Loyalist Māori 		Māori

The East Cape War, sometimes also called the East Coast War, refers to a series of conflicts that were fought in the North Island of New Zealand from about 13 April 1865 to June 1868. There were at least three separate unrelated campaigns fought in the area during a period of relative peace between the main clashes of the New Zealand wars, between the end of the Invasion of the Waikato, and beginning of Te Kooti's War. Although separate, they have all come to be known together as the East Cape War.

All of these conflicts stem from a common cause, the arrival of the Pai Marire Movement or Hau Hauism from the Taranaki region around 1865. Originally Pai Marire was a peaceful religion, a combination of Christianity and traditional Māori beliefs, but it quickly evolved into a violent and vehemently anti-European (Pākehā) movement. The arrival of the Hau Hau in the East Cape effectively destabilized the whole region causing great alarm among the settlers and also seriously disrupting Māori society because of its disregard for traditional tribal structures. During this period the New Zealand government was inadvertently helping Pai Marire recruitment by the confiscation of rebel Māori land,amounting to 3% of New Zealand's land, a policy that generated enormous resentment among rebel Māori who had land confiscated.

 

Early actions

The first and most notorious incident was the murder of missionary Carl Volkner outside his church at Opotiki on 2 March 1865, which came to be known as the Volkner Incident. This outraged the European settlers who demanded justice, but New Zealand Government had committed almost all of their military forces to fighting the Second Taranaki War. It took five months before they were able to free up men to deal with the murders. In September 1865 the Patea Rangers and The Forest Rangers and a large contingent of Taranaki Māori under Thomas McDonnell were shipped around the coast to Opotiki.However the Forest Rangers refused to sail and von Tempsky joined the Patea Rangers. George and his company of Waikato Militia joined the East Coast Field Force under W.Brassey. A further group of volunteers were enlisted at Napier along with 60 Colonial Defence Force men. They landed at Opotiki with the help of supporting fire from the Brisk. The arrival of the Hau Hau had provoked a civil war among the Ngāti Porou, one of the major tribes of the area. The Hau hau preached violence when the tribal leaders were urging caution. The Ngāti Porou chiefs, who were opposed to the Hau Hau fanaticism, wrote to the Government requesting assistance, particularly arms and reinforcements. Their appeal reached Donald McLean, a government official and politician who was a major landowner in the Napier region. He already had available a sizeable store of weapons, enough to equip a force of 100 militia and arm the Ngāti Porou. They sailed up the coast and the two forces joined up on 6 July 1865.

Over the next few months there were a series of skirmishes during which the government forces were almost always successful. Prior to the arrival of the government's military forces the Hau hau had not faced any large armed group in the East Coast. After their arrival the Hau Hau had an almost perfect record for losing every skirmish, fight and battle. The military victories were often due to superior weapons tactics and leadership and the fact that many rebels found that their Hau hau chants were no protection against hot lead.[1](Ch 20)

Early in October, 380 Pākehā and Ngāti Porou loyalists surrounded a force of about 600 Hau Hau. Even though the Hau Hau had a strongly fortified pā and the weather conditions were atrocious (one of the attackers died of hypothermia) 500 of the Hau Hau were forced to surrender. This was a continuation of the complete domination of various rebel Maori by the Government forces.As in Auckland, Waikato and Taranaki the rebels found that a pa, no matter how well made was unlikely to withstand a military attack for more than a brief period.

At about the same time a Hau Hau war party attacked a group of Ngāti Porou women who had only a few shotguns and well flung rocks to defend themselves. They did so with such good effect that when the Hau Hau retreated they left behind thirteen dead.

In the event this attack cost the Hau Hau even heavier casualties. The loyalist Māori of the Ngāti Porou were angered because non-combatants had been attacked. Particularly incensed was a rising leader or war chief among them, Ropata Wahawaha. He led a group that tracked down and captured the Hau Hau responsible, and personally executed the ones who came from his own hapu, or sub-tribe.

Pukemaire

Major James Fraser with about 100 men had been involved in skirmishes in this area since his arrival on the Brisk on 5 July. The first major attack started on 3 October 1865 when a force of 380 under Fraser and Ropata marched against the pa in pouring rain. They attacked up a ridge towards entrenchments and began a sap. Ropata and some men pulled down a section of weak palisades and entered the pa killing 9 Hau hau. Operations were hampered by the cold and rain, with the rain dampening powder so weapons would not fire. Fraser gave the order to withdraw to await better weather. Two government soldier died. Operations began again on the 8 October when Captain Westrup and some Forest rangers took up a position at the rear of the pa at night. The next morning the rest of the force attacked but found the Pa deserted. It was burnt to prevent reoccupation. The Hau hau had fled just prior to the attack and had established a new stronghold at Hungahunga-toroa 30 km away. This old pa was easily subdued by Ropata and 20 Forest Ranger marksmen climbing a hill that over looked the Pa, sniping at the Hau hau. 20 rebels were killed and many more wounded. The Pa surrendered. There were no government casualties.[1](Ch 20)

Waerenga a Hika

Early in November of the same year a large group of Hau Hau built a pā on the outskirts of a Pākehā settlement in Poverty Bay, some 12 km from Gisborne. Most were rebels who had fled from the fighting in the north. There were at least 200 armed rebels , threat enough to the settlement which seemed to be confirmed by their building a Pa. It fell to Donald McLean to assemble a force to deal with the threat and to organize the Sturt to protect the settlers and move 250 loyal Ngaiti Porou into the area with HMS Esk. The build up was completed by about 12 November, including Ropata and some 300 Ngāti Porou.

The government troops advanced ,forcing back the rebel outposts, surrounded the pā on three sides and began a siege. The government forces surrounded the pa on 3 sides with the fourth being a swamp. They took over Bishop William William's house 300 m from the front of the pa and snipers were positioned in the top room. Soldiers dug in behind Hawthorn hedges on 2 sides. The next day Major Fraser ordered Lt Wilson and 30 men to begin digging a sap towards the pā. When this was within 50m of the rebel pa, they were suddenly attacked by a large force of Hau hau reinforcements and Hau hau who emerged from the pa. Initially Wilson thought the men where loyal Maori who were coming to reinforce him. Wilson ordered his men to charge through the group to get to safety. 6 of his men were killed. This incident lead to wild Hau hau celebrations and over confidence. The next day a group of Hau hau rebels attacked the soldiers entrenched behind the Hawthorn hedge. As cover for the attack they pretended to surrender. As they attacked they held up their right hand to stop bullets. In fifteen minutes 63 rebels were killed . The government's only casualty was one soldier with a slight wound. There was some concern in Government about firing on a group "surrendering" but after an investigation, in which all officers were interviewed, the government were convinced it was a case of Hau hau deceit.

On Day seven Fraser decided to use a 6 pounder cannon from the Sturt. Instead of ammunition they fired empty salmon tins packed with bullets, about a hundred per tin. After the second shot the Hau Hau surrendered when their morale collapsed. 400 of them were made prisoners although others escaped through the swamp. Over 100 rebels were killed and about the same number wounded. The government's total losses were 11 killed and 20 wounded. It was in this battle that Te Kooti, who was fighting on the government side, was arrested. Troops had noticed that he had removed bullets from his cartridges and was firing only powder. The Pa was destroyed. In a short time most of the captured Hau hau were released but the Hau hau ring leaders and Te Kooti were sent to Chatham Island.[1](Ch 21)

Ngāti Kahungunu civil war

December 1865 to January 1866

This conflict happened in the northern Hawke's Bay area. It appears to have been very similar to the Ngāti Porou civil war, conflict between those of the tribe who converted to Hau Hauism and those who remained loyal to the New Zealand Government, the kupapa. In this case the conflict was on a much smaller scale, possibly because each faction involved only a small proportion of the tribe, the bulk of the Ngāti Kahungunu remaining neutral.

The loyalist faction won because they were able to call on support of the Colonial Militia and from the Ngāti Porou warriors.

Napier

In October 1866 one group of Hau Hau attempted to invade Napier in a desultory fashion: they moved into the area in a threatening manner but did little more than camp on the outskirts of the settlement. However they could not be ignored. Once again a mixed force of Pākehā and Māori, commanded by Colonel Whitmore, was formed. They marched out and surrounded the Hau Hau at Omaranui. The Hau Hau were given a chance to surrender which they refused; in fact they refused even to negotiate. They were given an hour to reconsider and then the militia opened fire. The result was a massacre in which most of the Hau Hau were killed.

Tauranga again

January to March 1867

The peace agreement of 1864 had been accepted by most of the Māori of the Tauranga district and the area was relatively quiet. However there was to be some confiscation of land and this was resisted by one small hapu or sub-tribe, the Piri Rakau led by a Hau Hau prophet, Hakaraia. Unlike most of the Hau Hau adherents he seems to have had some military wisdom. They were able to avoid either capture or destruction and for a brief time they had a considerable impact on the stability of the district particularly on the Arawa tribe. However the arrival of Colonial reinforcements forced them to retreat towards the King Country. Hakaraia later joined Te Kooti.

Similarly, south of Opotiki, the Tuhoe were not prepared to accept the arrival of Pākehā settlers on their northern border and made some raids on the farms being established in the area. Attempts by the militia to deal with the Tuhoe were largely unsuccessful because they could always retreat into the large rugged mountainous area of the Urewera Ranges.

Two factors kept the East Cape unsettled. The Government pressed ahead with the confiscation of Māori land from the rebels and this in its turn provided the Hau Hau with a constant flow of recruits. Then in June 1868 the situation changed drastically with the arrival in Hawkes Bay of Te Kooti.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Stowers, Richard (1996). Forest Rangers : a history of the Forest Rangers during the New Zealand Wars. John E. Binsley, assistant researcher of biographical section. Hamilton, NZ: R Stowers. ISBN 9780473035310. "Includes alphabetical list of Forest Rangers containing at least some biographical information on each (pp 198–268). Includes bibliographical references (p 289) and index." 

    Further reading

    • Belich, James (1988). The New Zealand wars. Penguin.
    • Belich, James (1996) Making peoples. Penguin Press.
    • Binney, Judith (1995). Redemption songs: A life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki. Auckland: Auckland University Press.
    • Cowan, J., & Hasselberg, P. D. (1983) The New Zealand wars. New Zealand Government Printer. (Originally published 1922)
    • Maxwell, Peter (2000). Frontier, the battle for the North Island of New Zealand. Celebrity Books.
    • Simpson, Tony (1979). Te Riri Pakeha. Hodder and Stoughton.
    • Sinclair, Keith (ed.) (1996). The Oxford illustrated history of New Zealand (2nd ed.) Wellington: Oxford University Press.
    • Stowers, Richard (1996). Forest rangers. Richard Stowers.
    • Vaggioli, Dom Felici (2000). History of New Zealand and its inhabitants, Trans. J. Crockett. Dunedin: University of Otago Press. Original Italian publication, 1896.
    • "The people of many peaks: The Māori biographies". (1990). From The dictionary of New Zealand biographies, Vol. 1, 1769-1869. Bridget Williams Books and Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand.


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