In 1831-1832, the Siege of Kaiapoi was fought in New Zealand between Ngati Toa under Te Rauparaha against Ngai Tahu under Pureko during the Musket Wars.
Why did it happen?
In 1824, after leading Ngati Toa southward from Kawhia, Te Rauparaha captured Kapiti Island, which he used as a springboard for his campaigns in the South Island. In 1829, Ngati Toa unsuccessfully besieged Kaiapoi Pa, located 18 kilometres north of present-day Christchurch. Two years later, after campaigning in Nelson and the Golden Bay, Te Rauparaha decided to enact utu for the death of Te Pehi Kupe at Kaiapoi. He divided his force of 1,300 warriors in two: While 500 would stay in Nelson to conduct mopping-up operations, Te Rauparaha himself would lead the other half in an attack on Ngai Tahu. Marching south from the Wairau Valley, he defeated a Ngai Tahu force at Kaikoura before landing at Waipara and marching inland to Kaiapoi.
Who was involved?
The Ngati Toa force at Kaiapoi numbered 900 warriors: 300 Ngati Toa, 400 Ngati Awa, and 200 Ngati Raukawa. Although he was outnumbered by Ngai Tahu, Te Rauparaha knew modern siege techniques, particularly sapping. In military parlance, sapping involves digging covered trenches, usually in a zig-zag pattern, towards a besieged fortress without danger from enemy fire. Once the saps are close enough, the besiegers can then undermine the fortifications and breach the defences. The Ngai Tahu garrison inside Kaiapoi numbered 1,600 warriors and civilians. The pa was designed explicitly for musket warfare, with deep swamps on three sides providing fresh water to the inhabitants and the fourth, southern side being reinforced by a massive, bulletproof palisade with openings for muskets.
What happened?
As Te Rauparaha’s forces arrived at Kaiapoi, the Ngai Tahu retreated into the Pa and sent some waka to Akaroa to seek assistance from the chief, Taiaroa. Subsequently, Ngati Toa set up camp for a siege. As the siege wore on, Taiaroa arrived at Kaiapoi with 200 warriors from Akaroa. When Ngati Toa sailed their waka down the Ashley River, Taiaroa led an unsuccessful raiding party to try and stop them from linking up with the main force. Subsequently, Te Rauparaha ordered his warriors to dig a series of zig-zag trenches towards the Pa’s palisades while constructing at the heads of each trench bundles of flax and manuka to protect themselves from musket fire. After three months, Niho arrived from the West Coast with 100 reinforcements and Taiaroa, seeing that the Pa would ultimately fall, left at night with his men. The next day, the Ngai Tahu chief, Pureko, took advantage of a strong wind to set fire to the Ngati Toa’s brushwood at the end of each trench. Unfortunately, the wind changed direction, and the fire burned the palisades instead. Seeing his chance, Te Rauparaha ordered his warriors to perform a haka outside the Pa before storming in to kill or capture the Ngai Tahu men, women, and children. While Ngati Toa lost 30 killed and 10 wounded, Ngai Tahu losses numbered 500 killed and 800 captured. Only about 100 Ngai Tahu managed to escape the slaughter.
What changed as a result?
The Siege of Kaiapoi was a decisive Ngati Toa victory. The loss of Kaiapoi was a significant blow for Ngai Tahu, who had lost all their pas and peoples north of Akaroa. Although Ngati Toa raiding parties continued to pursue Ngai Tahu forces further south at Onawe Pa, The Siege of Kaiapoi marked the pinnacle of Te Rauparaha’s power. His influence stretched from the southwestern half of the North Island to the northern half of the South Island. Within a few years of returning to Kapiti Island, however, Ngati Raukawa and Te Atiawa were in open conflict, and Te Rauparaha’s allies were forced to take one side or the other. Although he would continue to rule these lands until his arrest in 1846, Te Rauparaha was never again able to put together a committed and unified army for conquest.
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.
Te Rauparaha, Tamihana. A Record of the Life of the Great Te Rauparaha. Translated by Ross Calman. Auckland, Auckland University Press, 2020.
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