In 1807, the Battle of Moremonui was fought in New Zealand between the Nga Puhi under Pokaia and the Ngati Whatua under Taoho and Murupaenga during the Musket Wars.
Why did it happen?
In the early nineteenth century, The Nga Puhi and Ngati Whatua tribes living in the North Island of New Zealand had engaged in years of raids and counterraids designed to exact utu, or ‘payback’, over perceived wrongs inflicted on them by the other. The conflict came to a head in 1807 when a large force of Nga Puhi warriors under Pokaia gathered in the Kaipara area and marched down the west coast south of Hokianga towards Waikara, north of Maunganui Bluff. While living off the cultivations there, the Nga Puhi killed and ate a Te Roroa (subtribe of Ngati Whatua) man. In response, the Ngati Whatua gathered their forces at Wairoa River and, after scouts got word that the Nga Puhi intended to encamp at Moremonui Gully, marched to the location where they planned to ambush the encamped Nga Puhi.
Who was involved?
The Nga Puhi army at Moremonui numbered 500 warriors. Along with traditional weapons, such as taiaha (polearms) and mere (clubs), a small number of Nga Puhi warriors carried flintlock muskets acquired from pakeha (European) traders. The size of the Ngati Whatua army at Moremonui is unknown but is believed to have been larger than the Nga Puhi force. All their warriors were equipped with traditional Maori weaponry - taiaha/polearms and mere/clubs.
What happened?
At dawn, as the Nga Puhi army set up camp and started eating, the Ngati Whatua warriors emerged from the bush and forest to surprise the Nga Puhi, who were forced out onto the beach. The Nga Puhi musketeers began to open fire on the Ngati Whatua, but due to the limited range of their weapons, they were only able to fire one volley before the Ngati Whatua overwhelmed them. In the hand-to-hand fighting on the beach, a Nga Puhi warrior speared Taoho through the mouth and out the back of the neck. In a demonstration of martial prowess, Taoho leant back, pulled the spear towards him, and killed his attacker with a blow from his mere. After rallying his forces, Taoho charged straight for the Nga Puhi leader, Pokaia, striking him with his mere and killing him. Upon seeing the death of their leader, the Nga Puhi army began to flee, which turned into a rout. However, due to a close blood relationship between the two tribes, Taoho ordered the chief Teke to draw a line in the sand behind the fleeing Nga Puhi to stop their warriors from exterminating the Nga Puhi forces. Nga Puhi casualties at Moremonui numbered 150 dead.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Moremonui was a Ngati Whatua victory. Although many Nga Puhi warriors escaped, the slaughter was so great that the battle became known as “Te Kai a Te Karoro” – the Seagulls Feast. The battle also marked the first-time muskets were used in Maori warfare and would set a precedent for future intertribal battles. One of the Nga Puhi survivors of Moremonui was a young chief named Hongi Hika, who desired utu for the death of his two brothers. In 1820, after travelling to England and acquiring 300 muskets from a French trader in return for land, Hika returned to New Zealand where he used slaves captured in battle to produce cash crops to purchase muskets from European settlers. In 1825, Hongi Hika avenged the defeat at Moremonui by using muskets to achieve a decisive victory over Ngati Whatua at the Battle of Te Ika-a-ranganui.
Bibliography:
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.
Keane, Basil. “Battle at Moremonui.” Te Ara: the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Accessed October 1, 2020. https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/38073/battle-at-moremonui
Knight, Ian. The New Zealand Wars 1820-72. Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 2013.