Treaty events 1900-49 - Treaty timeline
1916 Rua Kenana arrested
The arrest in 1916 of prophet Rua Kenana followed the last instance of armed Maori resistance to Pakeha. Rua established a community at Maungapohatu in the Ureweras that attracted Maori disgruntled with the Pakeha system. Rua had discouraged recruitment for the First World War and broke prohibition laws by selling alcohol. An expedition made its way into the Ureweras and, after a gunfight in which Rua's son died, the prophet was arrested. The judge at Rua's trial for sedition told Rua his 18-month sentence for resisting arrest was 'the lesson your people should learn from this trial'.
Native Contingent at Gallipoli
Te Hokowhitu a Tu
The first Native Contingent sailed from Wellington aboard the SS Warrimoo in February 1915. Its motto was 'Te Hokowhitu a Tu' (the seventy twice-told warriors of the war god), signifying the 140 warriors of the war god, Tu-mata-uenga. This name was given by Wi Pere, an East Coast rangatira. The crest of the contingent bore two traditional Maori weapons, the taiaha and tewhatewha, crossed through a crown.
Waitangi Day 1940s-1950s
1940 Centennial
Pioneer Battalion - Maori and the First World War
Major changes were made to the nature and form of Maori military service in late 1915 and early 1916. The Native Contingent ceased to exist and was replaced by the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, sometimes referred to now as the Pioneer Maori Battalion.
Maori and scenic reserves - scenery preservation
Maori and scenic reserves
Maori had mixed feelings about the Scenery Preservation Act 1903. Politician Hone Heke Ngapua welcomed it as a way to protect totara and prevent the loss of more kauri forest, but he objected to the way compensation was made available to Maori. The value of Maori lands, he argued, should be assessed not by the Native Land Court but by the same courts that assessed general lands.
Maori MPs - Parliament's people
Maori in the House
Important leaders of Maori society have represented their people in the House: Maui Pomare, James Carroll, Matiu Rata and, most famously, Apirana Ngata. These and other men – and they were all men until 1949 when Iriaka Ratana was elected – could be lonely Maori voices in a Pakeha-dominated House. It was not until the 1980s and the later introduction of mixed member proportional representation (MMP) in 1996 that more Maori entered the House and represented electorates other than traditional Maori seats.
Apirana Ngata leading haka, 1940
Apirana Ngata leading a haka at the 1940 centennial celebrations at Waitangi. The meeting house, Waitangi House, is on the left.
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: MNZ-2746-1/2-F
Further information and copies of this image may be obtained from the Library through its 'Timeframes' website, http://timeframes.natlib.govt.nz
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
Apirana Turupa Ngata
Ngati Porou leader and politician Apirana Ngata is one of New Zealand's best-known figures. Working through traditional tribal structures and as MP for Eastern Maori, he pressed for state-funded Maori land development. His wider aim was to strengthen Maori communities and revive Maori culture.
Henare Balneavis
Henare Balneavis became private secretary to Apirana Ngata, and continued in this role when Ngata became Native Minister. He went on to serve as private secretary to a number of Native Ministers including W. H. Herries, Gordon Coates, George Forbes and M. J. Savage.
