Sovereignty vs Rangatiratanga: Conflict in the Waikato, 1863-64

Question 1

How many conflicts took up the wars in NZ from 1845-1872?

Answer 1

20

Question 2

When did Governor Grey return to Nz for his 2nd governorship?

Answer 2

1861

Question 3

What were the 2 key drivers of Grey’s campaign?

Answer 3

land and law

Question 4

How did Grey think the Kingitanga represented a threat?

Answer 4

he believed it was a clear and unified form of resistance to the government’s policies.

Question 5

What was Grey’s Strategy?

Answer 5

to attempt to undermine the Kingitanga politically while also preparing militarily

Question 6

What was Grey’s public policy that he announced?

Answer 6

“dig around him [the king] until he falls of his own accord”, convince the king’s followers to abandon him and recognise Crown authority.

Question 7

What was a key component of Grey’s strategy?

Answer 7

an extension of the Great South Road from Auckland towards the Waikato.

Question 8

How did Grey manage to get troops?

Answer 8

He convinced the government to send him troops, fabricating a story of an imminent Maori attack on Auckland.

Question 9

How many imperial troops and Kingitanga warriors were there?

Answer 9

12,000 imperial troops and 3,000 Kingitanga warriors

Question 10

When and how did Grey make his first move?

Answer 10

On 9 July 1863, he issued a proclamation that all Maori living between Auckland and the Waikato River should give up any weapons and swear allegiance to the Queen, or leave.

Question 11

When and how did Grey make his 2nd proclamation?

Answer 11

On 11 July 1863, he warned the chiefs of the Waikato that they risked losing their land if they took up arms.

Question 12

When did the NZ wars start and what was Grey’s first objective?

Answer 12

It started on 12 July 1863, and Grey’s first objective was to capture the king’s capital at Ngaruawahia

Question 13

How many men did Cameron deploy to defend the Great South Road?

Answer 13

6000

Question 14

What superior weaponry did the British have?

Answer 14

modern rifles, artillery, and 2 steamships to deliver troops and supplies up the Waikato River.

Question 15

What were the disadvantages of the Maori in the war?

Answer 15

they only had old muskets and a few cannons and “part-time” warriors who still had to so and harvest crops.

Question 16

What did General Cameron’s campaign mainly focus on?

Answer 16

he focused on engaging the Maori warriors in battle so that enough of them could be killed or captured to oblige surrender.

Question 17

What was the Kingitanga’s main goal?

Answer 17

The Kingitanga’s main goal was to prevent British troops from entering its lands.

Question 18

Who led the Kingitanga forces?

Answer 18

The Kingitanga forces were led by varying combinations of Wiremu Tämihana (Ngäti Haua) and Ngäti Maniapoto’s Tawhana Tikaokao and Rewi Maniapoto.

Question 19

What kind of defensive positions did the Kingitanga forces adopt?

Answer 19

The Kingitanga forces adopted fixed defensive positions, including a disposable defensive pa atop Meremere and more extensive fortifications at Rangiriri.

Question 20

What happened when Cameron’s troops tried to cut off Meremere?

Answer 20

Meremere was abandoned by the Maori forces, and they fell back to the fortifications at Rangiriri.

Question 21

What was the outcome of the initial attack on Rangiriri by Cameron’s troops?

Answer 21

The initial attack on Rangiriri by Cameron’s troops succeeded in capturing the lightly defended western part of the defences. However, subsequent assaults on the central redoubt failed.

Question 22

How did the Maori defenders escape from Rangiriri?

Answer 22

Overnight, most of the Maori defenders escaped from Rangiriri while the British troops camped on the wet ground. Only a small rearguard was left behind.

Question 23

What led to the British entering the fortifications at Rangiriri unopposed?

Answer 23

The next morning, confusion over the meaning of a white flag hoisted above the redoubt by the defenders led to the British entering the fortifications unopposed. The Maori believed it to be a flag of negotiation, not surrender.

Question 24

What was the result for the Kingitanga after the loss of Rangiriri?

Answer 24

The loss of Rangiriri, along with 180 fighting men taken as prisoners of war, was a major blow to the Kingitanga.

Question 25

What is unknown regarding General Cameron and the white flag?

Answer 25

Whether or not General Cameron had acted deceitfully regarding the white flag is unknown, but he was not going to lose the opportunity to take Rangiriri without further bloodshed.

Question 26

What happened to the obstacle of Rangiriri?

Answer 26

The obstacle of Rangiriri was neutralized, allowing access to the heartland of the Waikato.

Question 27

When was Ngaruawähia, the king’s abandoned capital, occupied?

Answer 27

Ngaruawähia was occupied on 8 December.

Question 28

What was the significance of the occupation of Ngaruawähia for Grey?

Answer 28

The occupation of Ngaruawähia had political significance for Grey, and he reported to his superiors in London that ‘the neck of this unhappy rebellion is now broken.’

Question 29

What was the symbolic importance of the capital to the Kingitanga?

Answer 29

The capital was of symbolic importance to the Kingitanga, but it was not of great military or economic significance.

Question 30

What was the “greatest Waikato Line” mentioned in the text?

Answer 30

The “greatest Waikato Line” referred to an immense constellation of modern pä (fortifications) centred on Päterangi, situated 60 kilometres south of Rangiriri.

Question 31

How did General Cameron bypass the Waikato Line’s defences?

Answer 31

General Cameron bypassed the defences of the Waikato Line with the help of two Mäori guides and by quietly marching his men through the bush.

Question 32

What happened in the settlement of Rangiaowhia?

Answer 32

Rangiaowhia, supposedly an agreed safe haven for non-combatants, was attacked and sacked by Cameron’s men, resulting in the killing of several civilians.

Question 33

How many civilians were killed during the attack on Rangiaowhia according to official British sources?

Answer 33

According to official British sources, 12 civilians were killed.

Question 34

What is debated regarding the deaths of Maori civilians in the raupò whare?

Answer 34

There are conflicting reports about whether Maori civilians were deliberately burned to death while sheltering in a raupò whare, and it is still debated.

Question 35

What do Kingitanga leaders understand about the attack on Rangiaowhia?

Answer 35

Kingitanga leaders understood that some kind of agreement had been entered into, making the early-morning attack on the settlement all the more treacherous.

Question 36

What did Wiremu Tämihana and Whitiora Te Rumete express about the attack on Rangiaowhia?

Answer 36

Wiremu Tämihana later wrote that after the assault on Rangiaowhia, he knew for the first time that this was a great war for New Zealand. Whitiora Te Rumete condemned the ‘foul murder’ and noted that the troops did not go to fight the men but left them to fight with the women and children, a matter that Waikato Mäori would return to repeatedly over the years.

Question 37

According to historian David Green, what does he think happened at Rangiaowhia?

Answer 37

Historian David Green does not think that what happened at Rangiaowhia was a premeditated (planned) massacre but a breakdown of discipline among troops who had psyched themselves up to face much stronger resistance.

Question 38

What moved Wiremu Tämihana to join in the next and final battle in the Päterangi area?

Answer 38

Wiremu Tämihana was moved to join in the next and final battle in the Päterangi area because of his anger over his people being “dead, murdered and burnt with fire at Rangiaowhia.”

Question 39

Why did the defenders of Päterangi rush back upon hearing of the British attack on Rangiaowhia?

Answer 39

The defenders abandoned Päterangi and rushed back to try to save their people who were under attack at Rangiaowhia.

Question 40

Who took the lead in the struggle after the defenders abandoned Päterangi?

Answer 40

Maniapoto chief Rewi Maniapoto took the lead in the struggle.

Question 41

Where did Rewi Maniapoto set up a defensive line?

Answer 41

Rewi Maniapoto set up a hastily constructed defensive line at Hairini, near Rangiaowhia.

Question 42

How many men did Rewi Maniapoto’s forces face when Cameron’s troops attacked on 22 February?

Answer 42

Rewi Maniapoto’s 400 men faced Cameron’s 1200 men when the attack occurred on 22 February.

Question 43

What was the outcome of the battle at Hairini?

Answer 43

With little in the way of defences, Rewi Maniapoto was defeated at Hairini, and the Maori forces withdrew.

Question 44

What did the British do when they entered Rangiaowhia the second time?

Answer 44

The British looted Rangiaowhia when they entered it the second time.

Question 45

What was the significance of Päterangi in the context of the war in the Waikato?

Answer 45

Päterangi had strategic significance in the war in the Waikato, and if its fortifications had not been bypassed, they would likely have blocked further advances into southern Waikato.

Question 46

What was the last significant engagement of the war in the Waikato, and who led it?

Answer 46

The last significant engagement of the war in the Waikato was at Oräkau in late March 1864, and it was led by Rewi Maniapoto.

Question 47

Why did Rewi Maniapoto reluctantly agree to engage in the battle at Oräkau?

Answer 47

Rewi Maniapoto reluctantly agreed to engage in the battle at Oräkau against his better judgment because he had been urged by a party of Tühoe and Ngäti Raukawa warriors not to abandon the fight.

Question 48

What did Rewi Maniapoto warn his followers about before the battle at Oräkau?

Answer 48

Rewi Maniapoto warned his followers that fighting at Oräkau would likely result in the destruction of the Waikato, leaving him as the sole survivor, and he discouraged them from fighting there.

Question 49

What happened when the defenders at Oräkau attempted to break out?

Answer 49

In a desperate bid for freedom, the defenders at Oräkau attempted to break out, making for the safety of the Puniu River three kilometres away.

Question 50

What were the estimated casualties during the chase of the defenders at Oräkau?

Answer 50

Historian Chris Pugsley estimated that at least 160 were killed during the chase, and women were bayoneted as they lay wounded. British casualties totalled 17 dead and 50 wounded.

Question 51

Why did General Cameron choose not to pursue the remnants of the Kingitanga forces across the Puniu?

Answer 51

General Cameron chose not to pursue the remnants of the Kingitanga forces across the Puniu because he did not want to risk further battles in more mountainous terrain and had become disillusioned with the war, seeing it as a land grab at the barrel of a gun.

Question 52

What did the Puniu River become in the context of the conflict between the Crown and the Kingitanga?

Answer 52

The Puniu River became a de facto aukati (border) between the authority of the Crown and the King, and the lands south of the aukati became known as the “King Country,” where Māori rangatiratanga prevailed until the 1880s.

Question 53

What was General Cameron’s last objective in the text, and where did the war come to at that point?

Answer 53

General Cameron’s last objective was to cut off what he believed was a Kingitanga supply route via Tauranga, bringing the war to the Bay of Plenty.

Question 54

Who was Rawiri Puhirake, and what role did he play in the conflict?

Answer 54

Rawiri Puhirake was the chief of the local Ngäi Te Rangi iwi. Initially neutral in the Waikato Wars, he reconsidered his position as a British military presence grew nearby and instigated the building of a defensive pa.

Question 55

What was unique about the defensive pa built by Rawiri Puhirake?

Answer 55

The defensive pa built by Rawiri Puhirake had underground anti-artillery bunkers and covered firing trenches, making the men inside invisible to an attacking force.

Question 56

What happened during General Cameron’s eight-hour bombardment of the pa at Pukehinahina?

Answer 56

During the bombardment, the aim was partially achieved, and the assault force that charged through the shattered defensive palisades was met with heavy musket fire from the defenders in their below-ground positions. The attack resulted in heavy casualties among the attackers.

Question 57

What marked the end of the Waikato Wars, including Cameron’s expedition into the Bay of Plenty?

Answer 57

The end of the Waikato Wars, including Cameron’s expedition into the Bay of Plenty, was marked by a British troop surprise attack on about 500 Māori digging new fortifications at Te Ranga, resulting in approximately 70 Māori casualties.

Question 58

Who retrospectively chose Wiremu Tamihana as the ‘New Zealander of the Year’ in 1863?

Answer 58

The New Zealand Herald retrospectively chose Wiremu Tamihana as its 1863 ‘New Zealander of the Year.’

Question 59

What is Wiremu Tamihana’s birth year, and which iwi was he part of?

Answer 59

Wiremu Tamihana was born around 1805, and he was of Ngäti Haua descent, part of the wider Tainui iwi.

Question 60

When did Wiremu Tamihana begin to take an interest in Christianity, and what role did he play in his community?

Answer 60

Wiremu Tamihana began to take an interest in Christianity in 1835. He not only learned to read and write in Māori but also took a leadership role in his community, acting as a mediator and helping settle disputes without violence.

Question 61

What earned Wiremu Tamihana the nickname ‘Kingmaker’ among Päkeha?

Answer 61

Wiremu Tamihana’s strong support for the formation of the Kingitanga, the selection of its first King, and his instrumental role in developing the Christian-based laws and the Kingitanga’s newspaper earned him the nickname ‘Kingmaker’ among Päkeha.

Question 62

What was Wiremu Tamihana’s role during the Waikato conflict, and what gesture did he make in an attempt to establish peace?

Answer 62

During the Waikato conflict, Wiremu Tamihana mediated between the governor and Maori and, at one point, sent his greenstone mere to General Cameron as a token of peace. However, this gesture was ignored.

Question 63

What did Wiremu Tamihana attempt when the fighting relocated to Tauranga, and what was the result?

Answer 63

Wiremu Tamihana tried to mediate during the fighting in Tauranga, but his attempts were unsuccessful.

Question 64

How did Wiremu Tamihana react to the land confiscations and the government’s response to his efforts to communicate?

Answer 64

When the land confiscations were announced, Wiremu Tamihana wrote to Parliament to put forward the Kingitanga’s side of the conflict. He received no reply, and his attempts to communicate with the government failed.

Question 65

When did Wiremu Tamihana pass away, and how did the Reverend Richard Taylor describe him?

Answer 65

Wiremu Tamihana passed away in September 1866. The Reverend Richard Taylor described him as a “patriotic chief” and expressed sadness that the government had ignored him despite his potential to establish good relations between the two races.