The fallout from Wairau

Robert FitzRoy

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.

Dealing with the fallout from this incident was one of the first tasks facing the new Governor, Robert FitzRoy, when he arrived in the colony in December 1843. The government resisted the calls to bring those responsible to justice. The official verdict was that Ngati Toa had been provoked by the reckless actions of the New Zealand Company in continuing the land survey. In effect the Company had brought the tragedy upon itself and there was no evidence that the Nelson settlers had any legitimate claims to land beyond Tasman Bay.

Wairau today

This response was approved by the Colonial Office. London was unwilling to incur the costs involved in any military action against Ngati Toa. But the New Zealand Company and its settlers could barely conceal their anger. The government’s lack of action confirmed in their minds the long-held view that the government put the needs of Maori above those of the settlers.

FitzRoy upset the New Zealand Company further when he issued Crown grants for land in Wellington and Nelson on a much smaller scale than demanded by the Company. Furthermore, they were only issued on the payment of more money. While angry New Zealand Company officials called for the Governor to be replaced, FitzRoy’s actions were in their best long-term interests. By being awarded a more secure title, albeit for less land, the Company settlers had greater security. The likely war that would have resulted had he attempted to force the issue with Ngati Toa would have made the situation far worse for those struggling to establish themselves in a new land. All of this was lost on the Company. Settlers in Nelson burnt FitzRoy in effigy when news of his recall to Britain was received in late 1845.

Wairau memorial

The sequel to Wairau was played out in further fighting that occurred in the Hutt Valley and Porirua in 1846 and in Wanganui in 1847. In each case the causes and participants were largely the same as those involved in 1843.

A memorial to the Europeans killed was unveiled at Tuamarina Cemetery in 1869 on what was for many years known as 'Massacre Hill'. This was put up on the initiative of Edward Jerningham Wakefield, whose uncle Arthur had died in the incident.