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.
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.
