Te Ruki Kawiti

In 1840, when William Hobson arrived in New Zealand, Kawiti vigorously resisted British rule. He did not agree to the Treaty on 6 February, when others signed at Waitangi. He eventually signed, albeit reluctantly, at a special meeting with Hobson in May 1840. His is the first Maori signature on the Waitangi Treaty sheet.

Te Ruki Kawiti, probably born in the 1770s in northern New Zealand, was a notable Nga Puhi chief and warrior and a skilled military tactician. He earned his mana during the Musket Wars. He learnt the power of the musket and the complete inadequacy of traditional pa in the face of a musket-armed enemy. Kawiti turned his attention to the design, fortification and defence of what were to be known as modern pa. Such were Kawiti’s engineering talents that the British assumed that Englishmen had designed his pa.

While Ohaeawai was Kawiti's greatest victory, his most formidable pa would be revealed at Ruapekapeka in January 1846.

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