new zealand wars

1854 New Zealand's first Parliament

The Constitution Act 1852 set up New Zealand's parliamentary system, based on the British Westminster model. The first elections were held in 1853, and Parliament sat for the first time in 1854. The right to vote was based on the possession of individual property, so Maori who possessed their land communally were almost entirely excluded from voting for Parliament. Although the 1852 legislation provided for native districts that allowed for some form of temporary, local self-government for Maori, none were established.

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.

Gore Browne was not pleased. Public opinion was critical of his performance as governor and no significant progress had been made in Taranaki. A breakthrough came in March 1861 when Wiremu Tamihana visited Taranaki and arranged a truce. Some interpreted his actions as no more than a veiled recruitment drive for the Kingitanga, despite his success in persuading many warriors to leave the battlefield. Native Secretary Donald McLean concluded negotiations, and the war in Taranaki ended on 18 March 1861. The peace settlement required Taranaki Maori to submit formally to the Queen's authority. In reality few took the oath to the Queen.

The Kingitanga's response to the New Zealand Wars

As the non-Maori population of New Zealand grew during the 1850s, Maori faced more pressure to sell their land to these new settlers. By the late 1850s the South Island was firmly in settler hands. In the North Island, where the majority of Maori lived, meeting settler demand for land was proving much harder. In his first term as Governor, George Grey had overseen sizeable purchases in Porirua, Rangitikei, Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay. His successor from 1855, Thomas Gore Browne, achieved few significant land purchases in the North Island.