The ritual killing by Pai Marire followers of missionary Carl Völkner in 1865 shocked many people. The government used the event as a reason to take harsh action against Pai Marire in general.
On
2 March 1865 Carl Völkner, a German-born missionary, was hanged from
a willow tree near his church at Opotiki. His death was attributed to the
followers of a new religion, Pai Marire, who suspected Völkner of spying for
the government.
The Te Whakatohea chief, Mokomoko was one of five Maori executed on May 17 for being implicated in the murder of the missionary Carl Volkner at Opotiki in 1865. The government punished Te Whakatohea further for Volkner's death by confiscating of much of Te Whakatohea 's land.
