Te Rauparaha
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Maori Chief and War Leader of the Ngati Toa tribe, Te Rauparaha (1760s?-1849) took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Massacre in Marlborough.
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Early days
Te Rauparaha, the son of Wera Wera of the Ngati Toa and Paekowhatu of the Ngati Raukawa, was probably born in Kawhia during the 1760s. Both his parents had chiefly rank in their tribes, but it was on his own prowess that Te Rauparaha became the leader of his people. During his childhood his iwi were constantly at war with the other Waikato tribes for control of the fertile land north of Kawhia. His aggressive leadership soon attracted a band of followers, and he frequently took the conflict into the areas of other tribes, the fighting extending as far as northern Taranaki.
At some time around 1815, muskets became the weapon of choice and changed the character of tribal warfare. In 1819 Te Rauparaha joined with a large war party of Ngapuhi led by Tamati Waka Nene; they probably reached Cook Strait before turning back.
Migration
Over the next few years the intertribal fighting intensified, and by 1822 they were being forced out of their land around Kawhia. Led by Te Rauparaha they began a fighting retreat or migration southwards, one which ended with them controlling the southern part of the North Island and particularly Kapiti Island, which became the tribal stronghold. Attempts by various Southern Maori tribes to recover Kapiti Island in 1824 were decisively defeated.
Trade and further conquest
There were already numerous Pakeha whaling stations in the area, and Te Rauparaha encouraged them, establishing a lucrative trade of supplies for muskets thereby increasing his mana and military strength. In 1827 he began the conquest of the South Island, and by the early 1830s he controlled most of the northern part of it.
Planned European settlement
The last years of Te Rauparaha's life saw the most dramatic changes. On 16 October 1839 the New Zealand Company expedition commanded by Col William Wakefield arrived at Kapiti. They were seeking to buy vast areas of land with a view to forming a permanent European settlement. Te Rauparaha sold them some land in the area that became known later as Nelson and Golden Bay. Shortly afterwards he also signed the Treaty of Waitangi, acceding to British sovereignty over New Zealand but only with the guarantee that his chiefly status would be maintained.
Te Rauparaha soon became alarmed at the flood of British settlers and refused to sell any more of his land. This quickly led to tension as the settlers believed they had an almost divine right to occupy the whole of New Zealand. The upshot was the Wairau Massacre when a party from Nelson tried to arrest Te Rauparaha and 22 of them were killed. The subsequent government enquiry exonerated Te Rauparaha which further angered the settlers who began a campaign to have the governor, Robert FitzRoy recalled.
Capture and eventual death
Then in May 1846 fighting broke out in the Hutt Valley between the settlers and Te Rauparaha's nephew, Te Rangihaeata. Despite his declared neutrality, Te Rauparaha was arrested, near a tribal village in what would later be called Plimmerton, by the Governor, George Grey, and held without trial before being exiled to Auckland. He was allowed to return to his people at Otaki in 1848, where he died the following year, 27 November 1849.
Abiding legacy
Te Rauparaha composed the haka, or challenge, that is performed by the All Blacks and many other New Zealand sports teams before international matches.