Kawiti - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Te Ruki Kawiti was a prominent Māori rangatira

Rangatira

Rangatira are the hereditary Māori leaders of hapū, and were described by ethnologists such as Elsdon Best as chieftains . Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that of other tribes...

(chief). He and Hone Heke

Hone Heke

Hone Wiremu Heke Pokai was a Māori rangatira and war leader in Northern New Zealand and a nephew of Hongi Hika, an earlier war leader of the Ngāpuhi iwi. Hone Heke is considered the principal instigator of the Flagstaff War....

successfully fought the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

in the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

The Flagstaff War – also known as Hone Heke's Rebellion, the Northern War and erroneously as the First Māori War – was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand...

in 1845–46.

Descended from Nukutawhiti and Rāhiri

Rahiri

Rahiri is a semi-mythical ancestor of the Māori people in New Zealand.Rahiri lived somewhere within the period 1475-1585, based on whakapapa calculations...

, he was born in the north of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

into the Ngāti Hine hapu

Hapu

A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...

, one of the subtribes of Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand, and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands and Whāngārei.Ngāpuhi has the largest affiliation of any New Zealand iwi, with 122,214 people registered , and formed from 150 hapu, with 55 marae.-Foundations:The founding...

. From his youth he was trained in leadership and warfare. He was present at the Battle of Moremonui

Moremonui

Moremonui or Moremunui is a location in the Northland Region of New Zealand, 12 miles south of Maunganui Bluff. It is known principally as the site of a Māori battle fought in either 1807 or 1808 between the Kaipara branches of the Ngāti Whātua, Te-Uri-o-Hau and Te Roroa iwi on one side and the...

in 1807 or 1808 when many Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

were slaughtered by Ngāti Whātua

Ngati Whatua

Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It consists of four hapu : Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei....

. Almost twenty years later, in 1825, he was at the Battle of Te Ika a Ranganui when it was Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

's turn to slaughter Ngāti Whātua

Ngati Whatua

Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It consists of four hapu : Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei....

in an act of utu

Utu (Maori concept)

Utu is a Māori concept of reciprocation, or balance.To retain mana, both friendly and unfriendly actions require an appropriate response - hence utu covers both the reciprocation of kind deeds, and the seeking of revenge....

or revenge. He took a number of Ngāti Whātua

Ngati Whatua

Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It consists of four hapu : Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei....

captive and refused to hand them over to Hongi Hika

Hongi Hika

Hongi Hika was a New Zealand Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāpuhi iwi . Hongi Hika used European weapons to overrun much of northern New Zealand in the first of the Musket Wars...

, preferring instead to return them to their own people to whom he was related.

Kawiti initially refused to sign the Treaty of Waitangi

Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand....

on 6 February 1840, believing that it would inevitably lead to further European encroachment and the loss of Māori land. However he eventually yielded to pressure from his own people and signed the Treaty in May 1840, right at the top, above those chiefs who had signed earlier.

However he soon grew disenchanted with British law and supported Hone Heke in his protests against British rule. When in March 1845 Heke cut down the flag pole at Kororareka for the fourth time, thereby initiating the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

, Kawiti, now in his seventies, created a diversion by attacking the town.

European accounts of the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

are uncertain as to the deployment of the forces of Kawiti and Heke during the early stages of the war and those accounts are also uncertain as to how those two leaders made the strategic and tactical decisions in the conduct of the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

. European accounts of the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

present Hone Heke

Hone Heke

as the instigator of the war - indeed the Flagstaff War is sometimes called Hone Heke's Rebellion. However Kawiti was the senior rangatira

Rangatira

and appears to have had a key role in the strategic decisions as to the design of the strengthened defences of Pene Taui's pā

Pa (Maori)

The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...

at Ohaeawai

Battle of Ohaeawai

The Battle of Ohaeawai was fought between British forces and local Māori during the Flagstaff War in July 1845 at Ohaeawai in the North Island of New Zealand...

and the design and construction of the new pā that was build at Ruapekapeka

Ruapekapeka

Ruapekapeka is a pā 14 kilometres southeast of Kawakawa in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It is one of the largest and most complex pā in New Zealand, that was designed specifically to counter the cannons of the British forces. The earthworks can still be seen just south of Kawakawa...

to engage the British forces.

The attack on Heke's Pā at Puketutu and the battle of Te Ahuahu

The first major engagement of the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

was the attack on Heke's Pā at Puketutu in May 1845. While Heke occupied the pā

Pa (Maori)

itself, Kawiti and his men were skirmishing in the scrub and gullies around the pā. They successfully prevented the British from launching a coordinated attack on the pā but at quite a heavy cost in casualties. The British were unable to overcome the defences of the pā and retreat back to the Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country....

.

The next major engagement was the Battle of Te Ahuahu. The contemporary European accounts of the battle describe it as being fought on 12 June 1845 near by Te Ahuahu

Te Ahuahu

Te Ahuahu is a 373 m high basaltic scoria cone, in the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands volcanic field in New Zealand.It was the site of Hone Heke's pā that was the scene of the Battle of Te Ahuahu during the Flagstaff War of 1845-46.-References:*...

and that it involve only the warriors of Hone Heke

Hone Heke

fighting the warriors of Tāmati Wāka Nene

Tamati Waka Nene

Tāmati Wāka Nene was a Māori rangatira who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War.-Origin and mana:...

. However there are no detailed accounts of the action; Carlton (1874) mentions "Heke committed the error (against the advice of Pene Taui) of attacking Walker [Tāmati Wāka Nene], who had advanced to Pukenui. With four hundred men, he attacked about one hundred and fifty of Walker's party, taking them also by surprise; but was beaten back with loss. Kahakaha was killed, Haratua was shot through the lungs". In this battle Nene's warriors carried the day. Heke was severely wounded and did not rejoin the conflict until some months later, at the closing phase of the Battle of Ruapekapeka

Ruapekapeka

. On this account of the early engagements of the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

, Kawiti appears to have made the better strategic decisions as to which battles to fight and which not to fight.

Battle of Ohaeawai

At the next engagement, the Battle of Ohaeawai

Battle of Ohaeawai

The Battle of Ohaeawai was fought between British forces and local Māori during the Flagstaff War in July 1845 at Ohaeawai in the North Island of New Zealand...

Pā, Kawiti provoked the British into a disastrous frontal attack that cost them very heavy casualties. Having achieved his purpose he then evacuated the pā. Following this there was a lull of several months for peace negotiations that went nowhere.

Battle of Ruapekapeka

Towards the end of 1845 the British launched a major expedition against Kawiti's new pā at Ruapekapeka

Ruapekapeka

. The pā successfully withstood the siege and bombardment for several weeks before Kawiti made a tactical withdrawal, luring some of the British troops into a complex ambush behind the pā. After the battle of Ruapekapeka

Ruapekapeka

Kawiti and Heke were persuaded to end the rebellion by Tāmati Wāka Nene

Tamati Waka Nene

Tāmati Wāka Nene was a Māori rangatira who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War.-Origin and mana:...

, who in turn insisted that the British accept the terms of Kawiti and Heke that they were to be unconditionally pardoned for their rebellion.

The aftermath of the Flagstaff War

After the conclusion of the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

Kawiti went to live near by Henry Williams

Henry Williams (missionary)

Henry Williams was one of the first missionaries who went to New Zealand in the first half of the 19th century....

at Pakaraka

Pakaraka

Pakaraka is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand and is one of the oldest settlements in the Bay of Islands. It is located at the junction of State Highway 1 and 10....

. Kawiti was baptised by Henry Williams in 1853. He died at Waiomio, near Kawakawa

Kawakawa, New Zealand

Kawakawa is a small town in the Northland Region of northern New Zealand. It had a population of 1347 at the 2006 census, down from 1401 in 2001. Kawakawa developed as a service town when coal was found in the area in 1861, but there is no longer coal mining here...

on 5 May 1854, The meeting house and marae complex at Waiomio Caves are his memorial.

The legacy of Kawiti and the fifth flagpole at Kororareka

At the conclusion of the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

the Hokianga

Hokianga

Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as The Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand....

and the Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country....

region was nominally under British influence, the fact that the Government's flag was not re-erected was symbolically very significant. Such significance was not lost on Henry Williams

Henry Williams (missionary)

Henry Williams was one of the first missionaries who went to New Zealand in the first half of the 19th century....

, who, writing to E.G. Marsh on 28 May 1846, stated that "the flag-staff in the Bay is still prostrate, and the natives here rule. These are humiliating facts to the proud Englishman, many of whom thought they could govern by a mere name."

Some argue that the Flagstaff War can be considered an inconclusive stalemate, as both sides wished the war to end, both gained somewhat from the fighting, and the situation more or less remained the same as it was before the outbreak of hostilities. The opinion of the Henry Williams

Henry Williams (missionary)

Henry Williams was one of the first missionaries who went to New Zealand in the first half of the 19th century....

, who had counseled Kawiti to abandon the rebellion, was that the Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

and the colonial government both agreed that each should let the other alone, so that Kawiti achieved peace on his terms. Henry Williams

Henry Williams (missionary)

Henry Williams was one of the first missionaries who went to New Zealand in the first half of the 19th century....

wrote to Hugh Carleton on 13 March 1854 in response to a earlier comment by Carleton as to the consequences of Kawiti having made peace with Governor

Governor-General of New Zealand

The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....

Grey

George Edward Grey

Sir George Grey, KCB was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony , the 11th Premier of New Zealand and a writer.-Early life and exploration:...

“ But you say, "Grey will go upon Kawiti's submission as a proof of victory." I ask you in what form was Kawiti's submission? and to what and when did it take place? This is new to me, as also to Kawiti. Compare Kawiti's letter to Governor FitzRoy with the proclamation of Grey, immediately on Grey's return to Auckland, after Te Ruapekapeka was upset, or before peace was made, that all parties were to return to their own places, keeping in mind that the bone of contention was the flag-staff. Nothing was demanded from the chiefs in arms; nothing was given; but Kawiti demanded in his letter that if peace were made, it should be made with respect to the land. This was acceded to by Grey, and the flag-staff has remained prostrate to this day, though several attempts have been made to re-erect it. Captain Stanley was applied to replace it; he consented to do so immediately, but asked,--who would take care of it. Major Bridge declared it would take a thousand men to keep it in its place. Why? the natives had gained their point, and to this day laugh at the idea of submission. Peace was made with the natives on the understanding that each should let the other alone, and the demands of Kawiti having been complied with by Grey, where is the evidence of Kawiti's submission? Rather, does not the evidence shew Grey's submission to Kawiti? The war was a perfect farce, both in the North and in the South.”

Upon death his son Maihi Paraone Kawiti, who had been a missionary teacher at Mangakahia

Titoki, New Zealand

Titoki is a locality in the Mangakahia Valley of Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is 26 km to the east. The Wairua River passes to the east of Titoki and the Mangakahia River to the west. A hydroelectric plant has been operating at Wairua Falls since 1916...

, succeed Kawiti as leader of the Ngāti Hine hapu

Hapu

. Maihi Paraone Kawiti was a supporter of te ture (the law) and te whakapona (the gospel). Deputations came to Maihi Paraone Kawiti from the Taranaki

Taranaki

Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island and is the 10th largest region of New Zealand by population. It is named for the region's main geographical feature, Mount Taranaki....

and Waikato

Waikato

The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...

iwi asking the Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

to join the Māori King Movement

Maori King Movement

The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the central North Island ,in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British, as a way of halting the alienation of Māori land...

; the reply from Maihi Paraone Kawiti was that the Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

had no desire for a ‘Māori Kingi’ as ‘Kuini Wikitoria’ was their ‘Kingi'.

Maihi Paraone Kawiti, as a signal to Governor Thomas Gore Browne

Thomas Gore Browne

Colonel Sir Thomas Robert Gore Browne KCMG CB was a British colonial administrator, who was Governor of St Helena, Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Tasmania and Governor of Bermuda.-Early life:...

, that he did not follow his father’s path, arranged for the fifth flagpole to be erected at Kororareka; this occurred in January 1858 with the flag being named Whakakotahitanga, “being at one with the Queen.” As a further symbolic act the 400 Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

warriors involved in preparing and erecting the flagpole were selected from the ‘rebel’ forces of Kawiti and Heke – that is, Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

from the hapu

Hapu

of Tāmati Wāka Nene

Tamati Waka Nene

Tāmati Wāka Nene was a Māori rangatira who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War.-Origin and mana:...

(who had fought as allies of the British forces during the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

), observed, but did not participate in the erection of the fifth flagpole. The restoration of the flagpole was presented by Maihi Paraone Kawiti was a voluntary act on the part of the Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

that had cut it down in 1845, and they would not allow any other to render any assistance in this work.

The legacy of Kawiti’s rebellion during the Flagstaff War

Flagstaff War

was that during the time of Governor

Governor-General of New Zealand

Grey

George Edward Grey

and Governor Thomas Gore Browne

Thomas Gore Browne

, the colonial administrators were obliged to take account of opinions of the Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

before taking actions in the Hokianga

Hokianga

Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as The Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand....

and Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country....

. The continuing symbolism of the fifth flagpole at Kororareka is that it exists because of the goodwill of the Ngāpuhi

Ngapuhi

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