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By Maanvi
In 1859, the minor, Te Ātiawa chief Te Teira Manuka proposed to sell the land at Waitara in north Taranaki to the British government. The Crown accepted this proposal and the Pākehā settlers looked forward to settling in. However, one of the senior chiefs, Wiremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke, denied the proposal because of how less control they would have over their own land (he also wrote to the Governor in response to the proposed land sale: "You should remember that the Māori and the Pākehā's are living quietly upon their pieces, and therefore do not you disturb them."), and said they had no right to sell the land, causing war to start in March 1860.
The British governor, Thomas Gore Browne, ordered the army to help survey the area that the Crown wanted to buy, and armed conflict erupted between the Maori and the Europeans, which lasted for a year.
Afterwards, Governor George Grey admitted the Crown was in the wrong and gave the area back to the rightful owners.
The Pākehā wanted to colonise as much of New Zealand as they could and buy different areas, but the Māori didn't want that because the land held their homes, provided them jobs and food, and they would have no place to live if New Zealand got taken away from them.
Before exploring the 'New World' and occupying more land, British settlers had very small plots of land. They had witnessed the suffering caused from the loss of land during clearing projects, the removal of tenant farmers, and the enclosure of public commons. They also found out how much money, power and glory they could obtain from ownership of land, and naturally, they started buying and colonising land from different countries around the world.
To Europeans, land soon turned into an object which could be bought, sold and then assigned to an individual owner.
- The second article in the Māori version stated: "The chiefs are promised tino rangatiratanga (total chieftainship) over their whenua (land), kāinga (villages), and taonga (treasures)." That means the Māori would have total authority over their land and resources unless they decided to sell them to the Crown, but the Pākehā tried to buy the land off Māori with force since the Māori weren't up to giving their land away.
- The Pākehā were supposed to collaborate with the Māori and make decisions for the benefit of all, but instead they fought them for the land and made their own decisions.
- After 1850, the European population was increasing and that's why they wanted to expand their exposure to land in New Zealand.
- The Pākehā had proven themselves to be politically and numerically supreme compared to the Māori and believed that they deserved the land.
- When the Māori established a king in Taranaki, Pākehā saw it as a threat towards them, especially because the Māori king at the time was anti-land-selling.
- Māori wanted to preserve as much of the North Island because majority of the South Island had already been obtained by the Pākehā.
- Many Māori felt that the Treaty hadn't been upheld and that their land was being taken from the in a very unfair manner.
- It was hoped establishing a Māori king would help prevent the Pākehā's "divide and conquer" approach, and preserve their whenua.
The last shots were fired on 18 March 1861, when the war came to an end with a truce negotiated by senior Kingitanga figure, Wiremu Tāmihana, who didn't want the war to extend into Waikato. Still, some believe the Pākehā won the war, and others believe the Māori did.
Though, according to historian James Belich, the Māori were victorious because they had prevented the British from imposing their sovereignty over them. However, he said the Māori victory was a hollow one and resulted in the Waikato invasion.
There was a major decline in the Māori; an estimated population of 90,000 had fallen to 60,000 by 1860, and more than 230 people had been killed or wounded and another 120 had died of diseases during the war.
The war had a significant effect on the town of New Plymouth, which was the main town in Taranaki. Edwin Hodder, a Britisher who visited the town during the war, described his experience in the town: "It was lamentable to walk through that once flourishing and prosperous town, and see what ravages had been made. Business was at an end, except for articles of daily consumption; the streets were almost desolate – not a woman or child was to be seen, – only soldiers, who were all in bustle and confusion.”
After the war, the relationship between the Māori and Pākehā had a drastic change. The war created a sense of mistrust between the two cultures. There was uncertainty about which side the Māori would support in their own region. For the Māori, the war showed the true intentions of the British, marking them as killers with a corrupt government who cared only for the land
Nevertheless, not all the effects were negative. After waiting 27 years from the signing of the Treaty for access to the government, Māori were awared four special seats in the Parliament.
The Waikato war started in July 1863 and ended in April 1864. Waikato was the home of the Māori king. Pōtatau Te Wherowhero had been declared the first king in 1858, and in 1860 he was replaced by his son, known as Tāwhiao. Despite the truce made at the end of the Taranaki war, the government wanted to punish the king's supporters who had fought in the Taranaki war, and to make Waikato land available to the British.
About 619 anti-government Māori and 162 Pākehā were killled during the battle. The war ended with a British victory, and following the battle, the Waikato people were forced to move to what became known as the 'King country', and the Waikato lands were confiscated by the Crown.
- About 1 million hectares (including land that was later returned) was confiscated by the British in Taranaki, Waikato, South Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Poverty Bay.
- Loss of land also meant Māori lost access to culturally significant sites such as burial grounds and pā, forests, waterways, food resources, etc. In the 1980's, a claim was made to the Waitangi Tribunal saying that Te Reo Māori was a treasure and the Pākehā had a legal obligation to nurture it under the Treaty. The claimants further argued that the Crown's restrictions contributed in the decline of the language in schools. Only a quarter of Māori have Te Reo Māori as their first language, and young Māori are less likely to learn Te Reo nowadays.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/taranaki-wars
https://teara.govt.nz/en
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maori
https://www.stuff.co.nz/