Rewi Manga Maniapoto

Rewi Maniapoto was of the Ngati Paretekawa hapu (sub-tribe) of Ngati Maniapoto. He was trained in the traditional customs of his people, and learned to read and write at the Wesleyan mission station at Te Kopua.

In the 1850s he was a leading supporter of the King Movement. His people fought the government alongside Taranaki Maori in 1860–61. This experience convinced him that the government intended to overturn Maori rangatiratanga (authority/chieftainship) and take land at any cost. He organised the support of many among Ngati Maniapoto and Waikato, against the views of the more moderate Kingite leaders.

Rewi took a leading role in the Waikato war (1863–64). He fought with great bravery and skill despite overwhelming odds. When called upon to surrender at orakau in 1864 he uttered the famous words, 'Ka whawhai tonu matou, Ake! Ake! Ake! - We will fight on for ever and ever!'

After several defeats the Maori King and his Waikato followers took refuge in Ngati Maniapoto territory, where they remained for many years. Rewi later played a key role in establishing and expanding the Rohe Potae (King Country). In this vast area, extending into western Taupo and upper Wanganui, the King’s authority was supreme.

By the late 1860s Rewi had come to the view that Maori could not win back their mana (authority) by force. However, they did not reach a peace agreement with the government until 1878. Ngati Maniapoto did not suffer large-scale confiscation, although Waikato Maori lost 1.2 million acres (nearly half a million hectares).

In 1882 Rewi broke with the King Movement. The King insisted that there should be no negotiations with the government until the confiscation issue had been resolved. But Rewi agreed to government surveys within the Rohe Potae, and discussed the construction of the main trunk railway through the King Country, in exchange for a number of concessions to the government. Rewi’s actions ultimately opened the way for extensive government purchases in the King Country, despite his attempts to control the speed and scale of land alienation. After this his influence declined, and he died in 1894.

• See also: biography of Rewi Maniapoto on the DNZB website