Outbreak of the Girls' War at Kororāreka

The Girls’ War is the name given to a conflict fought in March 1830 between northern and southern Ngāpuhi. It had its roots in inter-hapū rivalry and competition for European trade at Kororāreka in the Bay of Islands.

The conflict was sparked by a fight among some young high-born Māori women, including the wives of a European whaler, W.D. Brind. A minor incident led to an exchange of threats between the girls’ tribes. Things turned violent when someone was accidentally shot.

Northern Ngāpuhi led by Ururoa (the brother-in-law of Hongi Hika) clashed with southern Ngāpuhi led by Kiwikiwi. The battle at Kororāreka was inconclusive but Kiwikiwi retreated to Ōtuihu, a headland about 10 km to the south. The missionaries Samuel Marsden and Henry Williams acted as intermediaries in the peace negotiations that followed. There was intermittent fighting over the next seven years, but Kororāreka remained under the control of northern Ngāpuhi.