Events In History
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31 December 1853Grey leaves NZ after first term as governor
During his first term as governor, George Grey was praised for ending the Northern War and obtaining land from Māori, but he also angered settlers by delaying the implementation of a constitution that would have given them political power. Read more...
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11 January 1846Ruapekapeka pā occupied by British forces
The battle at Ruapekapeka, the 'bats' nest’, was the last of the Northern War. Debate soon raged as to whether the pā had been abandoned by its defenders or captured by the British. Read more...
Articles
The Treaty in practice
Amalgamating Māori into colonial settler society was a key part of British policy in New Zealand after 1840. Economic and social change, along with land-purchase programmes, were central to this process.
- Page 1 - The Treaty in practiceAmalgamating Māori into colonial settler society was a key part of British policy in New Zealand after 1840. Economic and social change, along with land-purchase programmes, were
Treaty timeline
See some of the key events between 1800 and 1849 relating to the Treaty of Waitangi.
- Page 1 - Treaty events 1800-49See some of the key events between 1800 and 1849 relating to the Treaty of Waitangi.
The Northern War
The Northern War, fought in the Bay of Islands in 1845-46, was the first serious challenge to the Crown in the years after the Treaty of Waitangi. Its opening shots marked the beginning of the wider North Island conflicts that are often referred to as the New Zealand Wars.
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Page 2 – Origins of the Northern War
Actions by the colonial government cost Māori in the Bay of Islands in terms of lost trade and opportunities. Heke feared that chiefly authority was now subservient to that of
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Page 3 – The sacking of Kororāreka
The sacking of Kororāreka shook the settler population. Over £50,000 worth of property was lost. In Auckland panic set in. Some settlers sold their land for whatever price they
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Page 4 – Puketutu and Te Ahuahu
Māori learnt an important lesson at Puketutu: the British were a formidable foe in open battle. This would influence Māori tactics in future clashes
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Page 5 – Ōhaeawai
The vastly experienced Henry Despard had now arrived as the new commander of all British troops in New Zealand. Keen to cash in on Heke’s setback at Te Ahuahu, he
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Page 7 – Ruapekapeka
Ruapekapeka may have been a tactical victory for the British, but many consider the outcome to have been a draw. Heke and Kawiti had escaped with their forces largely intact,
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Page 8 – Peace breaks out
Historian James Belich contends that Grey won the propaganda war and Kawiti and Heke won the real war on the battlefield. Others argue that Belich's revisionism goes too far
Biographies
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Pomare
Pōmare II was a prominent Ngāpuhi chief who signed the Treaty of Waitangi. He was later arrested by the British on suspicion of treason but released on the intervention of Tāmati Wāka Nene.
Read more...
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Main image: Ruapekapeka
The last battle of the Northern War was fought at Ruapekapeka Pā, the distinctive features of which are well preserved.