War in Whanganui

Confusion and uncertainty surrounded the New Zealand Company’s land purchases from the time of its first settlement at Port Nicholson (Wellington) in 1840. This contributed to violence between settlers and Maori at Wairau in 1843 and the Hutt Valley in 1846. It came as no surprise when fighting broke out in the company’s second settlement, Whanganui, in 1847. The conflict here also involved longstanding rivalries between upper and lower Whanganui River Maori.

Putiki Pa

By early 1847 Whanganui was a garrison town. The Rutland Stockade dominated the town’s landscape and its presence angered the upriver leader Topine Te Mamaku. In April 1847 tensions increased when a young Maori man was accidentally shot in the face by a British sailor. The murder of Mary Gilfillan and three of her children a few days later created panic in the settlement. Five of those responsible for these killings were captured by lower-river Maori and handed over to the British military. Four were executed. Te Mamaku responded with a blockade of the town. Two months of minor skirmishes followed before the blockade was lifted in July 1847.

Moutoa memorial

Fresh fighting erupted in 1864 when lower-river Maori resisted the attempts of Pai Marire disciples to bring the new religion to the Whanganui River. In a decisive battle fought at Moutoa Island in May, those from the lower river inflicted a heavy defeat on the Pai Marire force. Over the next 12 months the government and its Maori allies mounted a successful campaign to crush the Pai Marire threat in the region. The policy of land confiscation which followed contributed to the outbreak of Titokowaru's war in 1868, when once more conflict returned to the Whanganui region.