The King Country (

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It extends approximately from

Kawhia Harbour Kawhia Harbour () is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwest of Hamilton, Ne ...

and the town of

Ōtorohanga Ōtorohanga is a north King Country town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located south of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton and north of Te Kūiti, on the Waipā River. It is a service town for the surrounding Da ...

in the north to the upper reaches of the

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...

in the south, and from the Hauhungaroa and Rangitoto Ranges in the east to near the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

in the west. It comprises hill country, large parts of which are forested. The region, albeit loosely defined, is very significant in New Zealand's history. The term "King Country" dates from the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

of the 1860s, when colonial forces invaded the Waikato and forces of the

Māori King Movement Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

withdrew south of what was called the ''aukati'', or boundary, a line of ''

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...

'' alongside the

Puniu River The Puniu River is a river of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. As a tributary of the Waipā River (itself a tributary of the Waikato River), and at a length of , it is one of the longest secondary tributaries in New Zealand. Th ...

near

Kihikihi Kihikihi, a small town located in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, serves as a satellite community of Te Awamutu, five kilometres to the north, and lies 35 kilometres south of Hamilton. The estimated population was ''Kihi ...

. Land behind the ''aukati'' remained native territory, with Europeans warned they crossed it under threat of death. Known for its rugged, rural roads and diverse landscape, the King Country has a warm climate, considered subtropical.

Government

The King Country is not an entity in local government. It forms part of two local government regions,

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

and Manawatū-Whanganui, and all or part of four districts:

, Ruapehu,

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...

and Waitomo.

Taranaki-King Country Taranaki-King Country is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Taranaki-King Country is Barbara Kuriger of the National Party. She has held th ...

is a parliamentary electorate for central government. The member represents an area which stretches from the outskirts of New Plymouth City to the outskirts of Hamilton City and including the King Country towns of

Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato, Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south ...

and

Te Kūiti Te Kūiti is a town in the north of the King Country region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 3, State Highways 3 and New Zealand State Highway 30, 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk rail ...

Geography

The King Country (a.k.a. Western Uplands) is largely made up of rolling hill country, including the Rangitoto and Hauhungaroa Ranges. It includes extensive

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

regions, producing such features as the

Waitomo Caves Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region of New Zealand's North Island. There are several solutional cave systems in the area around the village, which are popular tourist attractions. Restaurants and accommodation are centred in ...

. The area is largely rural and sparsely settled, with no cities or large towns. The most significant townships are the rural service centres of

and

(in the north) and

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

(in the south).

History

Prior to European settlement, the area was occupied by various Māori

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

, especially

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on th ...

Ngāti Tama Ngāti Tama is a Māori people, Māori iwi, tribe of New Zealand. Their origins, according to oral tradition, date back to Tama Ariki, the chief navigator on the Tokomaru (canoe), Tokomaru waka (canoe), waka. Their historic region is in north Tar ...

, and

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North ...

. In July 1863, Governor

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

ordered an

invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

with colonial forces supplemented by small numbers of British-allied Maori. The invasion was aimed at suppressing Kingite power, which was seen by the colonial government as a threat to Crown authority in New Zealand; it was also aimed to drive

Maori from the region in readiness for occupation and settlement by

Pakeha settlers European settlers in New Zealand, also known locally as Pākehā settlers, began arriving in the country in the early 19th century as settlers of various types, initially settling around the Bay of Islands mostly. Large-scale organised settleme ...

. Heavily outnumbered and disadvantaged by superior firepower, the Kingite forces retreated southwards from the Waikato after the battle at Ōrākau in April 1864, eventually being forced to flee to Maniapoto land, later called the King Country. At this time, the region received a Māori name, ''Rohe pōtae''. This name translates as "Area of the Hat", and is said to have originated when the second Māori King

Tāwhiao ''Kīngitanga, Kīngi'' Tāwhiao (Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, ; c. 1822 – 26 August 1894), known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1860 until his death. After his flight to ...

put his white top hat on a large map of the North Island and declared that all land covered by the hat would be under his ''mana'' (or authority). Heavy casualties at the Battle of Gate Pa at

Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...

in April 1864 prompted General Duncan Cameron to abandon plans for further military campaigns in the Waikato area, and Grey and the colonial government were forced to accept this decision. The King Country, mountainous, poor and isolated, was not an attractive conquest. King Tāwhiao and his followers were able to maintain a rebel Māori monarchy in exile and a refuge for rebel Māori opposed to the government for more than a decade although living conditions were very poor. This may be partly due to the large influx of about 3,500 Waikato people who swamped the resources of the approximately 800 Maniapoto living in the rohe. On 15 May 1872

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki ( 1832–1893) was a Māori leader and guerrilla fighter who was the founder of the Ringatū religion. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to ...

, on the run from government forces, crossed the Waikato River and entered the territory as supplicant and was granted asylum. In 1880, William Moffat, apparently a land agent or buyer, was shot and killed. In 1881, as a result of ongoing friction with his hosts over the question of land sales, and a general amnesty being granted to the rebels, Tāwhiao emerged and laid down the King Movement's arms. After successful negotiations between the government, Wahanui, Rewi and Taonui, including a pardon for Te Kooti by 1883 the King Country was made accessible to Europeans. It was opened to road surveying, and the start of the Main Trunk Line - but with a prohibition on the sale of alcohol throughout the district. At a March 1883 meeting,

John Bryce John Bryce (14 September 1833 – 17 January 1913) was a New Zealand politician from 1871 to 1891 and Minister of Māori Affairs, Minister of Native Affairs from 1879 to 1884. In his attitudes to Māori land questions, he favoured strict legal ...

got a compact that allowed the surveying of the rail route. At a February 1885 meeting at Kihikihi with

John Ballance John Ballance (27 March 1839 – 27 April 1893) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 14th premier of New Zealand from January 1891 until his death in April 1893. He governed as the leader of New Zealand's first organised List of pol ...

construction of the line was approved. Ballance was criticised for not requiring cession of land alongside the route (which would rise in value because of the line), but he knew that would not be acceptable to Māori. Construction of the railway began in 1885, and finished in 1908, with the completion greatly improving transport and communications in the King Country, promoting settlement and farming in the area - as well as assisting in the growth of rural service towns such as

which was an important railway depot until the 1950s. The alcohol ban continued as section 272 of the Licensing Act 1908—see the map of the "Boundaries of the King Country Licensing Area" in Jonathan Sarich's 2011 report. As a young man, John A. Lee was jailed for smuggling alcohol into the area around 1910. In 1923 and again in 1926, in response to a pro-alcohol petition sent around for signatures, another deputation of leaders of the King Country -- Te Rata Mahuta Tawhiao Potarau (fourth Māori King), Tuwhakaririka Patana, Hotu Tana Pakukohatu, and Thirty Leading Chiefs of the King Country—came before the Prime Minister to petition that the prohibition against alcohol in their area be protected. In March 1949

Korokī Mahuta Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (16 June 1906 – 18 May 1966) was the fifth Māori King Movement, Māori king. He was the elder son of the fourth Māori king, Te Rata, Te Rata Mahuta, and Te Uranga of the Ngāti Korokī t ...

, the fifth Māori King (1933-1966), and Princess Te Kirihaehae Te Puea Herangi (1883-1952) led a 400-strong delegation to Parliament, representing the people of the

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

and Te Wainui a Rua, concerning the "King Country Pact" to protect the prohibition line. However, their plea was ignored, and in 1951 1000 Māori rallied at Tauranganui Pa, Tuakau to protest the laxity in allowing alcohol in their area. In 1951 the National Party was re-elected, and one of its campaign promises was for a single referendum on no-license in the King Country. In 1953 a Bill was introduced for a joint poll requiring a 60% majority in November 1954, and the result was predictable given the demographics of the population then living in the area: licensing was carried by a large majority: 80% for European and 25% of Maori in favour of a license.

Economy

The greater part of the region's economy is involved in farming (especially pastoral farming) and forestry, with some supporting services. There are some areas of tourist significance, such as

. The King Country also contains areas of conservation estate, especially

Pureora Forest Park Pureora Forest Park is a protected area in the North Island of New Zealand. Within its rich rainforest are an abundance of 1,000-year-old Podocarpaceae, podocarp trees. It is "recognised as one of the finest rain forests in the world". Establi ...

. From 1966 to 31 March 2010, King Country Radio (with the call sign 1ZU) operated from

Sport

The

King Country Rugby Football Union The King Country Rugby Football Union is a constituent union in the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is located in the central North Island of New Zealand in an area known as the King Country. It was formed in 1922 when the South Auckland Rugby Union ...

has produced several

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

players who became

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

: Kevin Boroevich, Ronald Bryers,

Colin Meads Sir Colin Earl Meads (3 June 1936 – 20 August 2017) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played 55 test matches (133 games), most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 1 ...

, Stan Meads, Jack McLean, Bill Phillips, Joe Ratima and Graham Whiting. The North King Country

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team plays in a yellow and blue strip. It is based in Ōtorohanga.

References

External links

''King Country'' from New Zealand allianceTe Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand map of King CountryThe Alienation of Maori Land in the Rohe Potae (Aotea block), 1840–1920, by Cathy Marr
– includes a map of the King Country's boundaries. {{coord, 38, 40, 0, S, 175, 10, 0, E, type:landmark_region:NZ_source:dewiki, display=title
Story: King Country region - Boundaries: Te Rohe Pōtae, 1882,1883,1886
Geography of Waikato Geography of Manawatū-Whanganui Māori King movement