Violence erupts

Land Commissioner William Spain

The fertile plains of the Wairau Valley, south-east of Nelson, were seen as the answer to the Nelson settlement’s lack of flat land suitable for agriculture. New Zealand Company surveyors sent to the area in early 1843 met with immediate opposition from Ngati Toa. Te Rauparaha was adamant that these lands were not part of the Company’s 1839 ‘purchases’. Accompanied by his nephew Te Rangihaeata and Hiko, Te Rauparaha went to Nelson to discuss the matter with Arthur Wakefield. Ngati Toa wanted the matter to be looked into as part of William Spain’s investigation into land purchases made prior to Britain’s annexation of New Zealand.

Ngati Toa ordered a halt to the survey. William Wakefield instructed his brother Arthur to continue and a fresh survey party arrived in the Wairau valley in April 1843. The Company planned to put its faith in the notion that ‘possession is 9/10ths of the law’. It hoped that with settlers occupying the land the Crown would have little choice but to retrospectively recognise their claims.

Te Rangihaeata

By early June 1843 Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata had evicted the Company surveyors and burnt their temporary shelters. As these had been built from materials growing on Ngati Toa land Te Rauparaha maintained that he was within his rights to take this action.

The New Zealand Company disagreed. This was clearly an act of arson and there was a general feeling amongst the settler population that Te Rauparaha needed to be put in his place. Some pointed to the fact that Ngati Toa had acquired this land through conquest so it was not theirs to sell. This argument was a thin one. How Te Rauparaha had acquired the land did not alter the fact that he had not included it in the sale to the Company. The decision was made to arrest Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata on arson charges.

Wairau incident map

An armed posse of Europeans, including Nelson Chief Constable Henry Thompson and Arthur Wakefield, arrived near the Tuamarina Stream on 17 June 1843. Te Rauparaha, Te Rangihaeata and approximately 90 other Maori had also gathered. There were perhaps 40 women and children present.

Thompson attempted to handcuff Te Rauparaha. Te Rangihaeata spoke up, insisting that he was on his own land. He pointed out that Maori did not go to England to take ‘Pakeha’ land. At this point it seems that one of the Europeans accidentally fired a gun. Fighting broke out, and about eleven settlers and two Maori were killed, including Te Rongo, Te Rangihaeata’s wife. After an initial retreat the surviving Europeans were surrounded and forced to surrender.

Te Rauparaha appeared willing to spare the lives of those who had surrendered, but Te Rangihaeata demanded utu for the death of his wife. Te Rauparaha ceded to his nephew's demand. Eleven European prisoners, including Arthur Wakefield and Henry Thompson were killed on the spot. Most were slain personally by Te Rangihaeata.