East Coast Wars

Te Kooti Arikirangi landed on the East Coast of the North Island after capturing a ship and sailing himself and 168 other inmates and his followers from the Chatham Islands on 4 July 1868. He was bitter about being unjustly imprisoned

MASSACRE AT POVERTY BAY. BURNING OF THE SETTLE MENT.
Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3536, 14 November 1868, Page 5

without a trial and also had the intentions to spread his new found faith that had come to him while in prison. On 10 November 1868 caused a major re-spark in the East Coast Wars when he lead his men to Matawhero on the outskirts of Gisborne. This savage attack is believed to be a revenge attack on the area where he was captured the first time and accused of being a spy. 54 people were slaughtered during this fight which included 22 Maori people as well as European settlers as well. The attack was ruthless and brutal because he ordered his followers to attack everybody at Matawhero, which included the murders of women and children as well as men. As we can see from the newspaper article to the left – the settler newspapers reported the massacre of civilians in great detail. The reporting of such attacks was not very even. Despite the government and Kupapa forces also committing murder on unarmed captives and civilians at times, none of this was reported on through the news media. Only positive reports about military successes against the Hauhau. From this point a force was gathered, made up from a mixture of colonial and Maori forces, with the sole purpose of finding Te Kooti and bringing him to justice. Te Kooti fled Matawhero with 300 men and also women and children as well. They took up refuge at Ngatapa which was described by Colonel Whitmore as one of the most formidable fortresses he had seen in New Zealand. on 5 December 1868 Major Ropata led to contingents of Maori to the fortress to take on Te Kooti. Ropata and his men broke through the defenses but had to retreat when their ammo began to run low. They could not attack again straight away due to most of the Ngati Porou troops refusing to fight against Te Kooti. Because of this Ropata and Whitmore decided to wait at Patutahi until a

Mundy, Daniel Louis 1829?-1881 – Photograph of Captain Mair’s Flying Column returning after the fight with Te Kooti at redoubt at Kaiterira, Lake Rotokakahi. Ref: PA7-17-30. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22299479

larger force could be gathered. Over New Years in 1868-69, Whitmore began to advance his troops towards Te Kooti. After a few days of fighting, Te Kooti realised that trying to hold the fortress would be hopeless and decided to lead his followers to an escape from Ngatapa. Although Ropata’s men pursued them, most of Te Kooti’s forces reached safety, however they had suffered significant losses at Ngatapa with 136 of Te Kooti’s men being killed while only 11 colonials were killed.

Most of Te Kooti’s casualties occurred after the battle had finished in what became known as the Ngatapa Massacre. The battle was reported as a great victory in the Pakeha newspapers and no mention was made of the execution of unarmed prisoners. However there have been accounts since from multiple witnesses with the government and Ngati Porou forces that tell a different story to the official accounts of the battle.

J P Ward, a member of the Armed Constabulary, wrote in his diary that:

“In all some 130 odd of the defenders of Ngatapa were captured in the bush and gorges below the pa where they lay asleep having had neither sleep nor water for 2 days. They were marched up the hill side again under the outer wall – as it were – of the pa they had defended so long and so heroically, stripped of every vestige of clothing they possessed and SHOT – shot like dogs. There was no mention of a trial or if any or all of them had participated in the PB [Poverty Bay, Matawhero] Massacre. That did not matter to us one straw. They were shot and their bodies left to swelter and rot under the summer’s sun and bones to bleach to this day. And all this – and very much more – as done beneath the meteor flag of Mighty England”.

West Coast Times newspaper report of the defeat of Te Kooti at Ngatapa.

From Ngatapa, Te kooti lead his forces to Te Porere where he set up a pa. Te Porere is where Te Kooti stood and fought against British forces that were now pursuing him under the command of Major Kepa. After an extended period of fighting, the British broke into the pa, resulting in Te Kooti having to once again lead his mean in a retreat to safety. Unlike Ngatapa, many of his men were killed or wounded in the retreat with Te Kooti himself being shot in the finger while trying to flee. In 1869 Te Kooti moved his troops from this point deep into the Urewera’s with the intentions of hiding out until he would be no longer sought after anymore. While in the Urewera’s Te Kooti made a peaceful alliance with the Tuhoe leaders who would allow him to stay where he was in return for Te Kooti’s word that he wouldn’t attack their people. Te Kooti and his contingent of followers lived in the Urewera’s for 3 years from 1869-72 while raiding other small towns around the central North Island for weapons and supplies. Te Kooti had to move his troops once his Tuhoe allies were conquered by the British and once again he was able to successfully escape capture. From there Te Kooti fled deep into the King Country where he planned to live in peace, away from the fighting and wars. He spent a decade in the King Country from 1872-1882 under the protection of the Maori King. He spent his time in hiding working on developing his Ringatu religion and after he was pardoned in 1883, Te Kooti went travelling around New Zealand to expand his faith and gather more followers.