''
Kīngi'' Tāwhiao (Tūkaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, ; c. 1822 – 26 August 1894), known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the
Māori King
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 ...
from 1860 until his death. After his flight to the
King Country
The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...
, Tāwhiao was also Paramount Chief of
Te Rohe Pōtae for 17 years, until 1881. A
rangatira, and a religious figure – a
tohunga
In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...
ariki – Tāwhiao amassed power and authority during a time of momentous change, to become ''de facto'' leader of the
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 ...
tribes. He was a member of the
Ngati Mahuta hapū
In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...
and the ''kāhui ariki'', the Kīngitanga royal family.
The son of ''kīngi''
Pōtatau te Wherowhero
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori people, Māori rangatira who reigned as the inaugural Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1858 until his death. A powerful nobleman and a leader of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato iwi of the ...
, Tāwhiao was
elected the second Māori King after his father's death in 1860.
Unlike his unenthusiastic father, Tāwhiao embraced the kingship, and responded immediately to the challenge of ongoing Raukawa and Tainui support for
Te Āti Awa
Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...
during the
First Taranaki War
The First Taranaki War (also known as the North Taranaki War) was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori people, Māori and the Colony of New Zealand in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Is ...
. In 1863, Tāwhiao was baptised into the
Pai Mārire
The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori sp ...
faith, taking his regnal name, before leading the response to the
invasion of the Waikato. After the Kīngitanga suffered a heavy defeat at the
Battle of Rangiriri and
war crime
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
s at the trading centre of
Rangiaowhia
Rangiaowhia (or Rangiawhia, or Rangiaohia) was, for over 20 years, a thriving village on a ridge between two streams in the Waikato region, about east of Te Awamutu. From 1841 it was the site of a very productive Māori people, Māori Mission (s ...
,
Tāwhiao led the exodus of Tainui to the land of
Ngāti Maniapoto, establishing a
secession
Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...
ist state called Te Rohe Pōtae (the
King Country
The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...
). Warning all Europeans that they risked death if they crossed the border, he governed Te Rohe Pōtae as an independent state for almost twenty years. Tāwhiao's power began to decline significantly in the 1880s, as his relations with Raukawa ki Ngāti Maniapoto deteriorated. He formally sued for peace with
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 ...
at
Pirongia
Pirongia is a small town in the Waipā District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipā River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies i ...
on 11 July 1881, allowing the construction of the
North Island Main Trunk
The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...
railway line, which first opened the King Country up to the outside world.
Attempts by Tāwhiao to regain personal sovereignty or establish
co-governance in accordance with the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
failed, and the Kīngitanga began to lose its supporters. The king died suddenly in August 1894, and was succeeded by his son
Mahuta Tāwhiao.
Tāwhiao's legacy includes building the kingitanga from a union of mid-Northern tribes into "one of New Zealand’s most enduring political institutions," becoming a powerful adversary of the Crown that endured even after the exodus into the King Country and the eventual loss of its sovereignty.
He is credited with establishing several key Kīngitanga institutions, including
Te Whakakitenga, the bicameral
legislature
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...
of Waikato Tainui, and the annual Poukai conference, as well as the initial
Kīngitanga Bank, which collapsed, and then the successful
Bank of Aotearoa. Tāwhiao has also been the subject of controversy, in connection with the forfeiture of the Kīngitanga Bank, and his
conversion to Mormonism.
Early life and name
Tūkaroto Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (Tainui orthonography: ''Tuukaroto Pootatau Te Wherowhero'') was born around 1822 at
Ngāruawāhia
Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato River, Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Rang ...
. His father,
Te Wherowhero, was arguably the Paramount Chief of the Waikato people, and his mother,
Whakaawi, was Te Wherowhero's senior wife. Te Wherowhero the younger was raised through
whāngai by his mother's parents, making him distant from his father.
He was named Tūkāroto in commemoration of his father's stand at the
siege of Mātakitaki pā in May 1822 against Ngāpuhi.
After the Waikato were defeated by musket-armed
Ngāpuhi
Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei.
According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...
led by
Hongi Hika
Hongi Hika ( – 6 March 1828) was a New Zealand Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the iwi of Ngāpuhi. He was a pivotal figure in the early years of regular European contact and settlement in New Zealand. As one of the first Māor ...
in a battle at Matakitaki (
Pirongia
Pirongia is a small town in the Waipā District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipā River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies i ...
) in 1822, they retreated to
Orongokoekoea Pā, in what is now the
King Country
The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...
, and lived there for several years. Tāwhiao was born at Orongokoekoea in about 1825 and was named Tūkaroto to commemorate, it is said, his father's stand at Matakitaki.
Tāwhiao's name changed throughout his life. Initially known as Tūkaroto, he was later baptised Matutaera (
Methuselah
Methuselah (; ''Məṯūšélaḥ'', in pausa ''Məṯūšālaḥ'', "His death shall send" or "Man of the javelin" or "Death of sword"; ''Mathousalas'') was a biblical patriarch and a figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is clai ...
) by
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
missionary
Robert Burrows,
a name he would repudiate in 1867.
Te Ua Haumēne, the Hauhau prophet and founder of the
Pai Mārire
The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori sp ...
faith, sought counsel with the king in the 1860s. After the
invasion of the Waikato in 1863, Matutaera travelled to Te Namu pā in
Ōpunake to meet him. There, Matutaera was baptised into the Pai Mārire faith,
taking the name ''Tāwhiao'', meaning "encircle the world".
Biography

In 1858 Tāwhiao's father,
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori people, Māori rangatira who reigned as the inaugural Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1858 until his death. A powerful nobleman and a leader of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato iwi of the ...
, was installed as the first Māori King (taking the name Pōtatau), his purpose being to promote unity among the
Māori people
Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, c ...
in the face of
Pākehā encroachment. Pōtatau was an unwilling ruler, and acquiesced to accept the crown as merely a transitional holder. Several
rūnanga
In tikanga Māori (Māori culture or practice), a (runaka in Southern Māori dialect) is a tribal council, assembly, board or boardroom. The term can also be a verb meaning "to discuss in an assembly". An iwi (tribe) can have one governing rū ...
were held to discuss the proposal for the elderly Te Wherowhero to ascend to the Kingitanga. One such hui was an 1857 meeting known as Te Puna o te Roimata (the wellspring of tears), at Haurua, south 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 ...
, hosted by Tainui kin
Ngāti Maniapoto. Tanirau, a powerful Ngāti Maniapoto chief, announced the iwi's at-large decision to support Pōtatau as king. Pōtatau replied, ‘E Tā, kua tō te rā’ (O sir, the sun is about to set), a proverb commenting on his advanced age and poor health, implying he had not much longer to live. Tanirau replied, ‘E tō ana i te ahiahi, e ara ana i te ata, e tū koe he Kīngi’ (it sets in the evening to rise again in the morning; thou art raised up a king). This referred to the possibility of introducing
hereditary rule to the monarchy; Tanirau later espoused support for Tāwhiao (then known as Matutaera) or his siblings to succeed Pōtatau Te Wherowhero upon the latter's death. Pōtatau replied, ‘E pai ana’ (it is good), and ascended to the kingship, and to Waikato the role of kaitiaki of the Kīngitanga. The Kīngitanga remains a hereditary monarchy, and is yet to leave the hands of Waikato Tainui.
When Pōtatau died in 1860, Tāwhiao, his sister
Te Paea Tiaho, and
Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi of
Ngāti Hauā were candidates to succeed him.
Tāwhiao was chosen and reigned for thirty-four years during one of the most difficult and discouraging periods of Māori history. During this period there were two governments ''
de jure
In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...
'';
English law
English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...
and governance prevailed within the British settlements and Māori custom over the rest of the country, although the influence of the King was largely confined to the Waikato and even there chiefs such as
Rewi Maniapoto only cooperated with the king when it suited them. However the Pākehā population was increasing rapidly while the Māori population was unknown as there was no reliable census of Maori and Pākehā / Maori for 80 years. Because Maori separated themselves from Pākehā, many believed, wrongly, that the Maori population was declining rapidly. This was also the period when British industrial, trade and political power was at its height. The presence of an independent native state in the central North Island was officially ignored by the government until it developed the potential to undermine the colonial government's sovereignty.
After Tāwhiao converted to the Pai Mārire faith in early 1863, he and
Te Ua Haumene established
Te Kīwai o te Kete, the military pact forged between Taranaki and Tainui Māori during the New Zealand Wars. The two iwi had recently allied in 1860, during the
First Taranaki War
The First Taranaki War (also known as the North Taranaki War) was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori people, Māori and the Colony of New Zealand in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Is ...
, when Kingitanga forces under the command of Epiha Tokohihi had come to the aid of Taranaki leader
Wiremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke
Wiremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke ( – 13 January 1882) was a Māori chief of the Te Āti Awa iwi (tribe) and leader of the Māori forces in the First Taranaki War.
Te Rangitāke was born probably in the final years of the 19th century at Man ...
. Pōtatau Te Wherowhero had died in June 1860, making the First Taranaki War Tāwhiao's first major challenge. Tāwhiao supported the Kīngitanga's uniting principle of opposition to the sale of Māori land, to prevent the spread of British sovereignty, but as a pacifist he was divided over how to respond. Both Wiremu Kīngi and the Colonial Government had made repeated diplomatic approaches to Pōtatau to ask him for military and diplomatic support, but by early May Pōtatau seemed to have decided to offer at least token support to Taranaki Māori, sending a Kingite war party to the district under the control of war chief Epiha Tokohihi. Tāwhiao eventually opted to maintain this policy.
Invasion of the Waikato
In 1863, after Maniapoto warriors ambushed and killed British soldiers escorting a detained British soldier along the beach to
New Plymouth
New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...
to stand trial,
the Government attacked the Kingitanga
in Waikato, to suppress the King movement and remove a supposed threat to neighbouring Auckland. Having succeeded the inefficient
Thomas Gore Browne as
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
,
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 ...
had convinced the government of a supposed invasion of Auckland by Waikato Tainui. According to Browne, in response to his belligerence in the
First Taranaki War
The First Taranaki War (also known as the North Taranaki War) was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori people, Māori and the Colony of New Zealand in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Is ...
, Kingite leaders formed plans to launch a raid on
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
on 1 September and burn the town and slaughter most of its residents.
This has since been dismissed by such historians as James Belich as being fear-mongering from Browne in order to try and gain military support. Browne's invasion plan was suspended when he was replaced by Grey in September that year, and the Kingites in turn abandoned their plan for their uprising.
Grey had held a grudge against the Kīngitanga since falling out with Tāwhiao's father, his old friend
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori people, Māori rangatira who reigned as the inaugural Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1858 until his death. A powerful nobleman and a leader of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato iwi of the ...
, with whom he had once had a "wonderful relationship", according to historian Rahui Papa.
According to Brad Totorewa, Grey had begged Te Wherowhero to protect Auckland from Ngāpuhi, but Te Wherowhero had refused; after a meeting in which Grey demanded Te Wherowhero to relinquish his power or face seven years of war, Te Wherowhero had threatened to eat him.
With his longstanding desire to destroy the Kingitanga in mind, on 9 July 1863 Grey issued a new ultimatum, ordering that all Māori living between
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
and the Waikato take an oath of allegiance to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
or be expelled south of the river. As many young men retreated into the bush with their weapons, officials began seizing others—including the ill and aged—who declined to swear the oath, imprisoning them without charge. Two days later Grey issued a proclamation directed to the "Chiefs of Waikato" as opposed to Tāwhiao in particular, which read:Within a day—before the proclamation had even reached the Tāwhiao—Grey ordered the invasion of Tāwhiao's territory. Though Grey claimed it was a defensive action, historian B. J. Dalton has claimed Grey's reports to London had been "a deliberate and transparent falsehood" and that the invasion was an act of "calculated aggression". According to historian
Vincent O'Malley, there was a total of 18,000 troops involved in the invasion of the Waikato, who had the advantage of a ready supply of food and ammunition.
The campaign lasted for nine months, from July 1863 to April 1864. The invasion was aimed at crushing Kingite power (which European settlers saw as a threat to colonial authority) and also at driving Waikato Māori from their territory in readiness for occupation and settlement by European colonists.
Tāwhiao's response was to abandon his pacifism and fight. He relied on his junior chiefs to help sustain the population and engineer defences and palisades to protect
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 ...
and areas of economic importance, such as flour mills. Te Wharepu, a leading Waikato chief, was the mastermind behind the defences of
Rangiriri, a one kilometre-long system of deep trenches and high parapets that ran between the Waikato River and
Lake Waikare. Despite this, the
Battle of Rangiriri of 20–21 November 1863 was lost by the Waikato Māori, at a higher cost to both sides than any other single engagement of 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 ...
. Further atrocities committed at
Rangiaowhia
Rangiaowhia (or Rangiawhia, or Rangiaohia) was, for over 20 years, a thriving village on a ridge between two streams in the Waikato region, about east of Te Awamutu. From 1841 it was the site of a very productive Māori people, Māori Mission (s ...
made the situation even more desperate for Tāwhiao's leadership.
The
Battle of Ōrākau
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 Colony of New Zealand, colonial gover ...
was a turning point, and arguably the Waikato War's decisive engagement, which "signified the end of one form of resistance and the beginning of another". The battle was commanded by Tāwhiao,
Wiremu Tamihana, and
Rewi Maniopoto between 31 March and 2 April 1864, against the forces of
Duncan Cameron. According to Michael Belgrave, when Cameron offered the forces of Tāwhiao and Rewi Manipoto surrender, the defenders replied, ‘E hoa, ka whawhai tonu ahau ki a koe, ake, ake!’ (‘Friend, I shall fight against you for ever, for ever!’). When the women and children were offered safe passage, a voice from the pā called out, "Ki te mate nga tane, me mate ano nga wahine me nga tamariki" ("If the men die, the women and children must die as well"). Belgrave says that although their escape "was marked by rape and the brutal killing of the surrendered", the bravery of the last defenders of Ōrākau played no part in the myth that emerged.
Described as "Rewi's Last Stand", the battle was remembered by Pākehā historians in the coming decades as the "dying act of a doomed people pitted against.. a superior European world". According to Belgrave, George Grey used the events at Ōrākau to describe Māori resistance as "an act of unconquerable courage upon the part of . . . adversaries, who fell before superior numbers and weapons – an act which the future inhabitants of New Zealand will strive to imitate, but can never surpass". Belgrave has argued that this undermines the resilience of Waikato Tainui, as evident by their exodus to the King Country.
Surrender and flight
After the defeat of the Kīngitanga at Ōrākau, Cameron prepared to assault
Wiremu Tamihana's 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 ...
, Te Tiki o te Ihingarangi, about 25 km northeast of Ōrākau near modern-day
Lake Karapiro, where Tāwhiao had escaped to. The ''pā'' formed part of a long line of ''pā'' the Kingites called ''aukati'', or boundary. Cameron assessed the ''pā'' as too strong to assault and incapable of outflanking. On 2 April he settled his troops in front of it, and prepared to shell it. On 5 April, the pā's inhabitants fled, and began their long exodus southeast to Ngāti Maniapoto whenua - the
King Country
The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...
.
Killing thousands and forcing their exile, the invasion of the Waikato was devastating for the Kīngitanga. According to Vincent O'Malley, "it is clear that Waikato Māori suffered horrendous losses... overall estimates for those killed and wounded during the Waikato War have ranged from about 500 to 2,000 casualties on the Kīngitanga side". O'Malley has compared the losses for Waikato to the heavy casualties of New Zealand soldiers during the First World War, in which 5.8% of the national population of just over 1 million served, 1.7% of whom were killed. O'Malley says that although "this staggering level of carnage is rightly remembered today,
tmay have been eclipsed by the casualty rate suffered by Waikato Māori in 1863 and 1864", in which he estimates 7.7 per cent of their total population fought and just under 4 per cent were killed. The conquered land was confiscated, altogether about a million acres (4,000 km
2).
Te Rohe Pōtae
Tāwhiao and his people had moved southwards, into the territory of the
Ngāti Maniapoto, the area of New Zealand that is still known as the
King Country
The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...
. He established
Te Rohe Pōtae, a
secession
Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...
ist independent state which he and other rangatira governed for 20 years.
This name translates as "Area of the Hat", and is said to have originated when Tāwhiao 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).
According to
Massey University
Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...
professor
Michael Belgrave, the Rohe Pōtae also became "the refuge for Māori who had taken up armed resistance to the Crown". A notable example of this was Te Kooti, who resided under the protection of Tāwhiao from 1872. According to Belgrave: "for years,
awhiaosat audaciously beyond the legal authority of the Queen and the vengeance of those communities he had ravaged on the East Coast... the establishment of the Rohe Pōtae, in the aftermath of the war, created an independent constitutional entity with its own borders and its own centralised authority. Belgrave has compared the invasion of the Waikato to the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, as it led to the creation of an "independent
breakaway state
Breakaway or Break Away may refer to:
Film, television and radio
* ''Breakaway'' (1955 film), a British film
* ''Breakaway'' (1966 film), an American short film by Bruce Conner
* ''Breakaway'' (1990 film), an Australian film featuring Deborah ...
". According to Belgrave, "between the battle of Ōrākau and the mid-1880s, the Rohe Pōtae remained an independent and unified state, but that unity was precarious", owing to the disunity between the iwi of Tainui and the increased resentment of monarchical rule.
For the next twenty years Tāwhiao lived an itinerant lifestyle, travelling among his people in Taranaki and Maniapoto settlements reminding them that war always had its price and the price was always higher than expected. He considered himself the anointed leader of a chosen people wandering in the wilderness. But he also predicted that the Māori people would find justice and restitution for the wrongs they had suffered. He preached that Kingites should keep separate from Pākehā. He was strongly against Maori children going to school to get an education. As a result, when the railway went through Kingite territory Kingites were only able to get unskilled jobs such as bush clearing. This strong anti education stance started a Kingite tradition that led to increasing isolation and lower standard of living than Maori experienced elsewhere in New Zealand. It was not until after the turn of the century that Kingites were finally persuaded to abandon their hatred of formal education in schools.
Tāwhiao was now leader of his own secessionist kingdom, but was utterly isolated. According to Belgrave "the Rohe Pōtae was an enclosed territory surrounded by land with a Crown title,". This stretched from the
Aotea Harbour east to the boundary where the land confiscation in the Waikato had occurred, and then "along the boundaries of the
Maungatautari and Pātetere blocks, to the Waipapa stream then south to
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 ...
. After that the line crossed the middle of the lake and ran to the top of the Kaimanawa range, looped through the central plateau between Ruapehu and Ngāruahoe, and then crossed the Whanganui River at Kirikau and headed west until it joined the Taranaki confiscation block." To the west was Kāwhia, Te Rohe Pōtae's major port, and to the east were
Te Arawa
Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori people, Māori iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' migration canoe (''waka''). The tribes are based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plent ...
, who were loyal to the British crown. The ''
kūpapa
Kūpapa were Māori who fought on the British side in the New Zealand Wars of the 19th century.
The motives of the ''kūpapa'' varied greatly, as did their degree of commitment to the British cause. Historian James Belich (historian), James Be ...
'' among their highest ranks had prevented reinforcements from allies on the East Cape coming to support Tāwhiao during the invasion of the Waikato. To the south was the Taranaki confiscation and a largely ambivalent assortment of Māori living in
Whanganui
Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...
, who despite the great friendship Tāwhiao had professed as existing between the Waikato and Taranaki,
were divided on supporting the king. The Rohe Pōtae, although an untouchable secessionist state, remained outflanked on all sides. The Kīngitanga was soon facing threats from the renegade chiefs it was sheltering from the Crown, including
Tītokowaru
Riwha Tītokowaru (born Riwha, 1823– 18 August 1888) was a Taranaki Māori rangatira, military commander, general and religious leader. He is considered to be one of the most capable and influential military strategists in New Zealand hist ...
and
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 ...
, who "directly threatened the King’s authority to speak for dissident Māori throughout the country".
In 1878, the New Zealand Government with
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 ...
as Premier approached Tāwhiao with the proposal that some of their Waikato land would be restored to them if they would accept the integration of the King Country with the rest of New Zealand. On the advice of his council Tāwhiao rejected the offer. However it was accepted three years later in a modified form.
The decline of the king's power was hastened by the lessening generosity of Ngāti Maniopoto in hosting the Kīngitanga; the iwi were increasingly impatient for Tāwhiao to return to the Waikato homeland. After his symbolic declaration of peace in July 1881, Tawhiao began to lose his authority, and after 1882, the King "could no longer exercise a unifying role, and tribes were forced to find another constitutional basis for maintaining their independent authority". Although they would still have control over their whenua until at least 1886, Manipoto began to experience challenges in maintaining order and making decisions with Tāwhiao gone. According to Belgrave, despite the efforts of a willing Ngāti Maniapoto leadership, it became extremely difficult and at times impossible for them and other leaders, "to maintain a coherent constitutional entity within the aukati", Achieving a degree of consensus among Ngāti Maniapoto alone was apparently a "tortuous process", making it easier for Native Minister
John Bruce to eye up the previously restricted territory.
Later reign
Visit to the United Kingdom
In the early 1880s there had already been two failed petitions taken to the British government by Maori. By 1884, there were only 1,000 kingite supporters left, according to
Claudia Orange. King Tāwhiao went around the North Island collecting money. This netted 3,000 pounds. He withdrew all the funds that had been deposited in the
Kingitanga Bank by the many Maori land sellers, and travelled to London to see
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
with
Western Maori MP
Wiremu Te Wheoro
Wiremu Te Morehu Maipapa Te Wheoro (1826–1895), also known as Major Te Wheoro and later as Wiremu Te Morehu or William Morris, was a 19th-century Māori people, Māori member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, House of Representative ...
to lead a deputation with a petition to the Crown to try to persuade her to honour the treaty between their peoples. Tāwhiao's petition was different from the previous failed ones. He asked for nothing less than the complete, separate, Maori self-government, drawing on Section 71 of the
New Zealand Constitution Act 1852
The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. 72) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted self-government to the Colony of New Zealand. It was the second such act, the New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 not ...
. Although Tāwhiao saw the queen as no more than "a remote and benign figure of little relevance" – as had been the Kingitanga's position since its establishment – he believed she could shepherd in respect for the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
.
The journey was aided by Governor
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 ...
, who met with Tāwhiao at a summit on
Kawau Island beforehand. He convinced the king and his fellow rangatira
Rewi Maniapoto and Te Whēoro to sign a pledge to act with the “propriety and dignity which became his position”. This was a veiled reference to Tāwhiao's
alcoholism
Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
; Grey was "determined to limit the likelihood of a drunk monarch turning up at a royal garden party", according to ''
The Spinoff
''The Spinoff'' is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and su ...
''. This was apparently successful, and during his stay Tāwhiao drank
ginger ale
Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph ...
instead.
Despite his best attempts at temperance, however, Victoria refused to grant him an audience. Tāwhiao did, however, wrangle a meeting with
Lord Derby,
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's government minister, minister in charge of managing certain parts of the British Empire.
The colonial secretary never had responsibility for t ...
, who said the question of Māori self-determination was an issue for the New Zealand government to resolve internally. Returning to New Zealand, the premier,
Robert Stout, insisted that all events happening prior to 1863 were the responsibility of the Imperial Government. The Maori bank depositors, finding their money gone, raided the bank, looking for their cash and finding none, burnt it down in 1884. Thoroughly disillusioned, Tāwhiao tried various initiatives to promote the independence and welfare of his people but he had been effectively marginalized. His problems were not solely due to the attitude of the New Zealand government. The King Movement had never represented all the Māori people and as it lost its
mana
Mana may refer to:
Religion and mythology
* Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology
* Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...
or standing they became even more disunited.
Undeterred, Tāwhiao resolved to establish a new bank, the
Bank of Aotearoa (''Te Peeke o Aotearoa''), at
Parawera in 1886. Quickly expanding to
Maungatatauri and
Maungakawa.
Cheques were issued by customers, but the bank issued no banknotes nor minted coins. It provided banking and monetary services to Māori (particularly those within the King Country). Sample banknotes bore the text "''E whaimana ana tenei moni ki nga tangata katoa"'' (this money is valid for all people). Cheques issued on the Bank of Aotearoa let customers transfer large amounts of money without using cash.
Hui at Pīrongia
On 11 July 1881, Tāwhiao, escorted by between five hundred and six hundred men, many of them armed, rode into
Pirongia
Pirongia is a small town in the Waipā District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipā River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies i ...
from the Tainui settlement at Hikurangi, modern-day
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� ...
. A pacifist, Tāwhiao had finally elected to sue for peace. Chiefs accompanying him included Wahanui and Manuhiri. It was Major William Mair, the Government Native Officer in the Upper Waikato, who was sent by Governor George Grey to meet Tawhiao, and there in the main street of the township the Maori King laid down his gun at Mair's feet. Scores of his men followed his example, until seventy-seven guns were lying on the road in front of the Government officer. According to James Cowan, Wahanui came forward and said: “Do you know what this means, Mair? This is the outcome of Tawhiao's word to you that there would be no more trouble. This means peace.” Mair replied that that was self-evident, and said "I call to mind the words that Tawhiao uttered at Tomotomo-waka (Te Kopua) that there would be no more fighting. This is the day that we all have been waiting for. We know now that there will be no more trouble.”
In spite of this, the next decade would result in further impoverishment for Tainui, as the ''aukati'' was dissolved and their last stronghold was exposed to European settlers. The construction of the
North Island Main Truck Railway would spell the end of the Rohe Pōtae as an independent state.
Establishment of the Kauhanganui and decline
Back in New Zealand in 1886 and seeking Māori solutions to Māori problems through Māori institutions, he petitioned
Native Minister 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 ...
for the establishment of a Māori Council "for all the chiefs of this Island". When this proposal, too, was ignored, he set up a Kīngitanga parliament at
Maungakawa in 1892; initially called the
Kauhanganui, it was later renamed
Te Whakakitenga. Though all North Island iwi were invited to attend, participation was confined mainly to the Waikato, Maniapoto and Hauraki people who were already part of the King Movement. The assembly's discussions included proceedings in the national Parliament, interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi, the confiscation issue and conditions for land sales, but its deliberations and recommendations were either ignored or derided by the Parliament and public servants. The establishment of Tāwhiao's Kauhanganui coincided with the formation of a Māori Parliament at Waipatu Marae in
Heretaunga. This parliament, which consisted of 96 members from the North and South Islands under Prime Minister
Hāmiora Mangakāhia, was formed as part of the Kotahitanga (unification) Movement, which Tāwhiao refused to join.
Death
During the remainder of his life Tāwhiao was respected and treated as royalty by many New Zealanders, both Māori (Kīngitanga-affiliated or not) and Pākehā. But he was allowed almost no influence over political events, as he had no legal authority within
English law
English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...
, which had displaced
tikanga.
Tāwhiao died suddenly on 26 August 1894, aged 71 or 72. As is Tainui custom, he was buried at
Mount Taupiri in an unmarked grave, as a sign of equality among his people. His tangihanga was held in September and was attended by thousands.
He was succeeded as king by his son
Mahuta Tāwhiao, who won the election to replace him.
Religion and philosophy
Encouraged by his veteran father's encouragement to become a man of peace, Tāwhiao was a deeply spiritual man throughout his life. The King was both a Christian and a follower of indigenous
Māori religion
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 ...
, and although not a
tohunga
In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...
himself he was well versed in the ancient rites of the
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
priesthood. In later years Tāwhiao's sayings were considered prophecies for the future, and passed down as ''taonga tuku iho''.
Tāwhiao's fundamentally pacifist nature led him to formally denounce conflict between Māori and Pākehā, and campaign for peaceful coexistence and Māori autonomy under
Section 71 of the
New Zealand Constitution Act.
Tāwhiao was quoted by his descendant
Robert Mahuta as having said: "Beware of being enticed to take up the sword. The result of war is that things become like decaying, old dried flax leaves. Let the person who raises war beware, for he must pay the price."
After his baptism into the faith by the prophet
Te Ua Haumene in
Ōpunake in 1863, Tāwhiao's connection to the Pai Mārire religion grew stronger. The two men helped established The faith was initially called
Hauhau, or Hauhauism especially by its detractors; the name "Pai Mārire" itself (good and gentle) was taken from a Waikato ritual chant. Tāwhiao also highly valued the relationship between
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
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 ...
. During a visit to Taranaki about 1864, Tāwhiao was famously quoted as saying: "You, Taranaki, have one handle of the kit, and I, Waikato, have the other. A child will come some day and gather together its contents".
In 1875, he issued a ''whakapuakitanga'' declaring his own version of the faith, which was called Tariao (morning star) – as the official faith of the King movement. Tāwhiao's granddaughter, Te Puea, ensured the continuance of Pai Mārire into modern times, recalling the story of how, just before his death, Tāwhiao told his people, 'I shall return this gift to the base of the mountains, leaving it there to lie. When you are heavily burdened, then fetch it to you.'
Connection to Mormonism
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) was
active in New Zealand from 1867. In the 1880s, a
Wairarapa
The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...
newspaper quoted Tāwhiao as claiming a belief in
Mormonism
Mormonism is the theology and religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationism, Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to va ...
: "I was some time ago converted to a belief in the Mormon faith, and I now altogether hold to it. My people in the North are believers also in Mormonism, and it is my wish that all the Maori should be of that faith."
Although the LDS Church has no record of Tāwhiao being
baptized
Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
, other Māori joined the church based on a prophecy they claimed Tāwhiao made in the 1860s—that messengers of God would come from over the Sea of Kiwa (the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
), travelling in pairs and teaching the Māori people in their own language. When some who heard Tāwhiao's prophecy observed pairs of
Mormon missionaries
Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and c ...
from the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
teaching in
Māori language
Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...
, they immediately accepted Mormonism.
It was also claimed by some Māori converts that Tāwhiao accurately predicted the site of the LDS Church's
Hamilton New Zealand Temple
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple (also known as the Hamilton Waikato Temple and formerly as the New Zealand Temple) is the 13th constructed and 11th operating Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The in ...
, which was built in 1958.
There is little direct contemporary evidence of Tāwhiao being a convert to Mormonism. The widely published accounts of his
tangihanga
, or more commonly, , is a traditional funeral rite practised by the Māori people of New Zealand. were traditionally held on , and are still strongly associated with the tribal grounds, but are now also held at homes and funeral parlours. Wh ...
make no mention of Mormonism but speak instead of ''native priests.'' or
tohunga
In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...
. What is beyond doubt, however, is that he and other Māori leaders of the time did meet with Mormon missionaries.
Family
Tāwhiao had nine children with his three wives and other women. His main wife was Hera Ngāpora, daughter of his advisor
Tāmati Ngāpora and his cousin. Their children were:
*Tiahuia Tāwhiao (1850–1898). Maori Princess, had descendants, including
Te Puea Hērangi.
*
Mahuta Tāwhiao (1855–1912). 3rd Maori King, had descendants.
*Te Rata Tāwhiao (1857–1900). Maori Prince.
*
Tāwhiao Te Wherowhero (1860–1911). Maori Prince Regent.
His second wife was called Rangiaho Taimana, and they had two children:
*Pokaia Tāwhiao (1844–1927). Maori Prince, had descendants.
*Haunui Tāwhiao (1882–1945). Maori Prince, had descendants.
His third wife was Aotea Te Paratene, also a cousin. They had only one daughter:
*Te Aouru Puahaere Te Popoke Tāwhiao (1856–1920). Maori Princess, had descendants.
He had a lover, Hinepau Tamamotu, daughter of a Maori Leader. They had two daughters:
*Irihapeti Peeti Te Paea Tāwhiao (1850–1900). Maori Princess, had descendants.
*Hui Hui Tāwhiao (1851–1910). Maori Princess, had descendants.
See also
*
Pai Mārire
The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori sp ...
*
Paora Te Potangaroa
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tawhiao
Tawhiao, King
Tawhiao, King
Tawhiao, King
Ngāti Mahuta people
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand
People from Waikato
Mormonism and Pacific Islanders
Prophecy in Mormonism
19th-century monarchs in Oceania