Fighting on the Whanganui River

Major Brassey at Pipiriki, 1865. This image depicts an incident that took place in 1865 during fighting between Pai Mārire Māori and Pākehā and their Whanganui Māori allies.

Following the fighting at Moutoa in May 1864 there were a number of campaigns aimed at eradicating the Pai Mārire threat in Whanganui and south Taranaki.

Lower-river leaders like Te Ānaua and Mete Kīngi played a prominent role in these campaigns. They sought primarily to uphold their personal mana and that of their hapū over the river. When Mete Kīngi and his men travelled upriver to relieve Brassey’s force at Pipiriki, the Hauhau dispersed.