King Tawhiao's reign
The reign of the second Māori King, Tukaroto Matutaera Potatau Te Wherowhero Tawhiao was dominated by the Waikato War and its fallout and in particular the impact of the confiscation of land which followed the war.
Origins of the Maori King movement
Te Kingitanga
Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Treaty events 1850-99 - Treaty timeline
1854 New Zealand’s first Parliament
Build up to war - Māori King movement 1860-94
Like his father, King Tawhiao opposed the war in Taranaki. The government, however, remained unconvinced. In July 1860 Governor Gore Browne sought to isolate the Kingitanga and its supporters when he invited about 200 chiefs to a conference at Kohimarama near Auckland. Those deemed to be rebellious, from areas such as Taranaki and Waikato, were not invited. The conference reaffirmed the Treaty of Waitangi and the sovereignty of Queen Victoria, but those present did not endorse the government's line in Taranaki. Nor did they condemn the Kingitanga.
Introduction - Maori King movement
The Maori King, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki, can trace his position as king back to the 1850s when tribes from all over the country discussed the notion of appointing a king. Rapid European population growth was putting pressure on Maori to sell land, and there was a sense that Maori were losing control of their own affairs.
Maori monarchs
Potatau Te Wherowhero 1858–60
Matutaera Tawhiao 1860–94
Mahuta 1894–1912
Te Rata 1912–33
Response to war - Maori King movement 1860-94
The Kingitanga's response to the New Zealand Wars
The land issue - Maori King movement
A line in the sand
The pressure to sell land was a key factor in the creation of the Kingitanga. Consider the following:
In search of a king - Maori King movement
A candidate is found
The Kingitanga has often been described as a Waikato initiative, yet its origins can be traced to Otaki on the Kapiti coast.
Raupatu - Maori King movement 1860-94
Land confiscations
Maintaining Te Kingitanga - Maori King movement 1860-94
Struggling to survive
By the early 1870s, the Kingitanga was struggling. Living conditions within the Rohe Potae (the Maori King's territory) were poor. Allies such as Ngati Haua had begun selling land again, even before the death of Wiremu Tamihana in 1866, and other tribes outside the Rohe Potae allowed the Native Land Court to sit and recommenced selling land, despite having placed their lands under the Maori King's mana.
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