Born: 1767.
Died: 27 November 1849.
Te Rauparaha is one of New Zealand’s most famous historical figures. Dubbed the “Napoleon of New Zealand”, his military campaigns during the Musket Wars changed the entire tribal structure of the North and South Island forever. Through his conquests, he created the nearest thing to a Maori empire with territory that straddled both sides of the Cook Strait. However, even he was powerless to stop the growing encroachment of British settlers eager to take over Maori land.
Historical Background
Te Rauparaha was born in 1767 in Kawhia Harbour in New Zealand’s North Island. His father was Werawera of Ngati Toa, and his mother was Parekowhatu of Ngati Raukawa. Although little is known about his childhood, Te Rauparaha became chief of Ngati Toa at the beginning of the nineteenth century and led his people south from Kawhia to Kapiti Island between 1820-24. In 1827, Te Rauparaha invaded the Marlborough Sounds and Wairau Valley, displacing the Maori tribes living there. Te Rauparaha went on to wage war against Ngai Tahu between 1828 and 1833 before a civil war broke out between his Ngati Raukawa and Te Ati Awa allies in 1834, which stopped his wars of conquest. He signed the Treaty of Waitangi on 14 May 1840. However, after British surveyors from Nelson unlawfully attempted to arrest him in the Wairau Valley, Te Rauparaha defeated them at the Wairau Affray on 17 June 1843. In 1846, Te Rauparaha was arrested on dubious charges of inciting insurrection in the Hutt Valley during the New Zealand Wars. Although released in 1848, he died the following year, aged 82 years old.
Historical Influences
Te Rauparaha was primarily influenced by the Musket Wars, the Treaty of Waitangi, and the Wairau Affray. In the late eighteenth century, Ngati Toa had engaged in a series of disputes with the Waikato tribes for the lands north of Kawhia. The conflict ended in 1822 when Te Rauparaha led Ngati Toa south, where he captured Kapiti Island in 1824. From there, he used the island as a base for further conquests in the South Island. By 1840, Te Rauparaha controlled the North Island's southwest and the South Island's northern half. On 14 May of that year, he signed a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi presented to him by Henry Williams, believing that this would give him possession of the lands won during the previous twenty years. However, this led to disputed land purchases over Porirua, the Wairau, and the Hutt Valley. The first clash with the British occurred in 1843 when Arthur Wakefield and a small force of British settlers from Nelson attempted to arrest him in the Wairau Valley. When Te Rauparaha resisted, a shot was fired, and in the resulting battle, four people on both sides were killed, with a further 18 British settlers clubbed to death upon surrendering. This incident marked the beginning of the New Zealand Wars.
Key Battle
Te Rauparaha’s signature battle during the Musket Wars was the Siege of Kaiapoi (1831-32). During the siege, Te Rauparaha ordered his warriors to dig a series of zig-zag trenches (known in military parlance as sapping) towards the palisade of Kaiapoi Pa, occupied by Ngai Tahu. To protect his warriors from enemy missiles, Te Rauparaha had his men tie bundles of manuka and flax at the head of each trench. After three months, whole bundles of brushwood had piled up against the Pa’s palisade, and when a southerly wind appeared, Te Rauparaha ordered the brushwood to be set alight, allowing the Ngati Toa warriors to breach the Pa’s defences.
Historical Significance
Te Rauparaha is historically significant because he was a military genius who saw the advantages of muskets in defeating his enemies in battle. His military conquests during the Musket Wars changed the entire tribal structure of New Zealand forever, with many tribes being displaced from their ancestral lands. In addition to changing the tribal structure of New Zealand, Te Rauparaha left another legacy: The Ka Mate haka. He composed this famous haka in 1820 to celebrate life over death after narrowly escaping capture from the Waikato tribes. Today, it is most famously used by the All-Blacks Rugby team, who perform it before every Rugby game. Finally, British involvement in Te Rauparaha’s Takapuneke campaign (1830) was one of the events that led to both the Declaration of Independence (1835) and the Treaty of Waitangi (1840). As stated by the Christchurch City Council, “Takapuneke is historically significant because there is a direct sequence of events at Takapuneke in 1830 and the acquisition of sovereignty over New Zealand by the British Government in 1840” (Christchurch City Council, 2018, p.9).
Bibliography
Christchurch City Council. “Takapuneke Reserve Management Plan (PDF).” Christchurch City Council. Last revised 2018. www.ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/The-Council/Plans-Strategies-Policies-Bylaws/Plans/Park-management-plans/Finalised-Takapuneke-Reserve-Management-Plan.PDF
Crosby, R.D. The Musket Wars: A History of Inter-Iwi Conflict 1806-45. Auckland, Reed Books, 1999.
Dalley, Bronwyn. & McLean, Gavin. Frontier of Dreams: The Story of New Zealand. Auckland, Hodder Moa, 2005.
Oliver, Steven. “Te Rauparaha: Biography.” Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Last revised 1990. www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t74/te-rauparaha
Te Rauparaha, Tamihana. A Record of the Life of the Great Te Rauparaha. Translated by Ross Calman. Auckland, Auckland University Press, 2020.
Wilton, Caren. “Te Rauparaha.” Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Last revised March 3, 2014. www.teara.govt.nz/en/node/226293
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