In 1710, the Battle of Pukatea was fought between Ngai Tahu under Tuteurutira and Rangitane under Te Rae-o-te-kohaka during the Maori Tribal Wars.
Why did it happen?
In 1677, Ngai Tahu migrated from the shores of Wellington Harbour in the North Island to the northern part of the South Island. By 1702, Ngai Tahu had settled and built pa in the Marlborough Sounds and West Coast. In 1710, the Ngai Tahu chief, Tuteurutira, defeated Rangitane at the Battle of Te Whare-a-nono, where among the prisoners taken was a woman named Hinerongo. When it was revealed to Tutueurutira that she was a Ngati Mamoe of high birth and had been captured by Rangitane in an earlier battle, he travelled south to Waipapa Pa, north of Kaikoura. There, the Ngati Mamoe chief Te Aotaka assured Tuteurutira of his good intentions and agreed to provide him with warriors to avenge Hinerongo’s capture by Rangitane. After two days, the combined Ngai Tahu-Ngati Mamoe forces sailed north in their canoes towards Pukatea (Whites Bay).
Who was involved?
The Ngai Tahu force at Pukatea numbered 440 warriors. Of this number, 140 were Ngai Tahu, while 300 were Ngati Mamoe. The Ngai Tahu-led forces were arrayed into five divisions: Te Aotaka held the left wing; Te Rakitauneke the centre-left; Mokai-i-tupa the centre; Tukiauau the centre-right; and Tuteurutira the right wing. The Ngai Tahu plan was to land in front of Pukatea Pa and deceive Rangitane into believing they had no means of escape. Once this had been achieved, and the Rangitane warriors were tricked into a frontal assault, Tuteurutira would execute a double envelopment manoeuvre to defeat them. The Rangitane force at Pukatea numbered 5,000 warriors. Because of their superior numbers, Rangitane thought that “Ngati Mamoe had made an error and that they had an easy victory before them” (Tau & Anderson, 2008, p.76). However, they were limited by the narrow front of the beach, which stretched from the stream on their left to the rocky ridge on their right, forcing them to execute a frontal assault on the Ngai Tahu army.
What happened?
As the Ngai Tahu fleet approached the landing place in front of Pukatea Pa, Tuteurutira sighted a canoe with two Rangitane men fishing for eels. Seizing his chance, Tuteurutira quietly ordered his men to pull hard and straight to gather speed. As the Ngai Tahu canoes ran alongside the Rangitane canoe, the first man was clubbed to death before he could make a sound, while the second man dove overboard, only to become entangled in his fishing net. The Ngai Tahu warriors then pulled him up, only to discover that he had drowned. After this, the Ngai Tahu army landed on the beach with half the canoes in the water. They drew into battle formation with 300 Ngati Mamoe on the left and 140 Ngai Tahu on the right. At dawn, Rangitane saw the enemy canoes and warriors on the beach and, believing they had an easy victory, marched out to confront them. Full of confidence, the Rangitane warriors attacked the Ngai Tahu centre, only to be hit in the flanks by the left wing under Te Aotaka and Te Rakitauneke and the right wing under Tuteurutira, who inflicted severe casualties on Rangitane.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Pukatea was a Ngai Tahu victory. The battle became known as Te-Wai-kotero-a-Tuteurutira (The stagnant water of Tuteurutira) because many Rangitane had been killed on the beach. These losses would never be avenged, and five days after the battle, Tuteurutira returned to Waipapa Pa with his warriors where “As is only proper, the prince married the princess and was given half the kingdom” (Tau & Anderson, 2008, p.77). Put simply, Tuteurutira married Hinerongo and was given lands stretching from Waipapa to Clarence River, while his nephew, Te Apoka-i-Hawaiki, was given two wives (Whakepuru and Takapau) and a block of land near Waipapa. Although this marriage brought peace between Ngai Tahu and Ngati Mamoe, it would be shattered in 1712 when Ngai Tahu sacked Waipapa Pa and seized territory in and around Kaikoura from Ngati Mamoe. The conflict between the two tribes continued throughout the eighteenth century until 1790, when Ngai Tahu occupied most of the South Island.
Bibliography
Elvy, W.J. Kaikoura Coast: Maori History, Traditions and Place-names. Christchurch, Whitecombe and Tombs, 1949.
Elvy, W.J. Kei Puta te Wairau: A History of Marlborough in Maori Times. Christchurch, Whitecombe and Tombs, 1957.
NZ Topo Map. “Whites Bay, Marlborough.” Accessed February 23, 2024. www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz41867/Whites-Bay/
Tau, Te Maire. & Anderson, Atholl. Ngai Tahu: A Migration History. Wellington, Bridget Williams Books, 2008.
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