te rauparaha

The news from Wairau shocked settlers throughout the colony. The killing of men who had surrendered was viewed as cold-blooded murder. There were fears that these events signalled the beginning of a widespread Maori insurrection.

The arrest of Te Rauparaha

In mid-1846 Governor George Grey decided to neutralise the Ngati Toa threat in the Wellington region by arresting Te Rauparaha. Despite the fact that Te Rauparaha had encouraged Maori to leave the Hutt Valley, Grey did not trust him to remain neutral. He believed that the removal of Te Rauparaha from the area would weaken Ngati Toa's power and assert his authority over the chief's mana. He also wanted to avoid Te Rauparaha being forced to choose between his nephew and the settlers.

Te Rauparaha was a Ngati Toa chief and warrior. Sometimes called the 'Napoleon of the Southern Hemisphere', he ruled the lower end of the North Island from his base at Kapiti Island for the best part of 20 years

The formidable Ngāti Toa leader, sometimes called the ‘Napoleon of the Southern Hemisphere’, had ruled the lower end of the North Island from his base at Kapiti Island for the best part of 20 years.

Also known as the ‘Wairau Affray’ and the ‘Wairau Massacre’, this was the first serious clash of arms between Māori and British settlers after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Four Māori and 22 Europeans were killed.