Kepa Te Rangihiwinui
Encyclopedia
Kepa Te Rangihiwinui was Māori military commander and noted ally of the government forces during the New Zealand Wars. He was also known as Te Kepa, or Major Kepa or sometimes as Major Kemp. Te Kepa was a member of the Ngati Hau
tribe or iwi
. His early years were spent under the threat of tribal warfare resulting from the invasion of their tribal land by the Ngati Toa
led by Te Rauparaha
. Kepa's father was an early supporter of New Zealand Company
settlement established at Wanganui and served as a constable in the Armed Police Force.
During the First Taranaki War
, Te Kepa made clear his continuing loyalty to the government. In 1864, the Māori tribes on the Upper Wanganui River
converted to Hauhau
-ism and threatened to invade Wanganui
town. Te Kepa led the tribes of the lower river to defend the town. The result was the Battle of Moutoa Island
and a substantial defeat for the Hauhau, on 14 May, 1864.
This was the start of six years of warfare for Te Kepa, always fighting on the side of the Pākehā
government, usually working closely with Captain Thomas McDonnell
. In February 1865, Te Kepa and his force of Wanganui Māori warriors took part in the attack on Ohoutahi Pa, a major Hauhau stronghold. Following the murder of the missionary Volkner
, they were shipped to the other side of the country, to Opotiki
. However they soon returned to Taranaki and were involved in the capture of Wereroa Pa and then the relief of Pipiriki
.
Te Kepa gradually built up a personal contingent of between one and two hundred warriors, men who were paid by the government but whose loyalty was to him and his mana as a fighting chieftain. In 1868, he and his men were involved with the insurgency of Titokowaru
. Te Kepa commanded the rearguard during the retreat from Te Ngutu o Te Manu after the government forces had been defeated and again in similar circumstances after the Battle of Moturoa. Te Kepa commanded the force pursuing Titokowaru
after he abandoned his Pa at Tauranga Ika. It was the first time that British soldiers, officers and men had served under a Māori commander, by this time Te Kepa had been promoted to the rank of major.
As soon as Titokowaru ceased to be threat, Te Kepa and his men were transported to the East Coast to join in the pursuit of Te Kooti
Such was his reputation that the attack on Te Porere near Tongariro was delayed until Te Kepa and his men arrived; they were marching up the Wanganui River in the face of snowstorms and volcanic eruptions.
The final pursuit of Te Kooti through the Ureweras was largely handed over to Te Kepa and another Māori war leader, Ropata Wahawaha
. He and his men returned to Wanganui in 1871. Over the following years he was honoured with the Queen's Sword of Honour, 1870, the New Zealand Cross 1874 and the New Zealand War Medal, 1876.
In 1871 Te Kepa was appointed as a land purchase officer in Wanganui. He saw this as an opportunity to correct some of the wrongs done to his people during his childhood, a chance to regain some of the land they had lost to the Ngati Raukawa by conquest. This almost brought the tribes to war, Te Kepa threatened to call upon his personal following of warriors if the government did not back up his decisions. There were some violent clashes before the issue went in his favour.
In 1880, Te Kepa set up a Māori Trust to protect Māori land from European buyers, a large area of inland Wanganui was declared off limits to all Europeans. This provoked the government, but Te Kepa's large personal following of warriors meant they were very cautious in dealing with him. In addition, he had the support of some members of the government, including the Native Minister, John Ballance
.
During his remaining years Te Kepa sought to unify the two races as one people based on equality and respect.
Te Kepa Te Rangihiwnui died at Putiki on 15 April, 1898.
Ngati Hau
Ngāti Hau is a Māori iwi of New Zealand....
tribe or iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
. His early years were spent under the threat of tribal warfare resulting from the invasion of their tribal land by the Ngati Toa
Ngati Toa
Ngāti Toa , an iwi , traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. The Ngāti Toa region extends from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson....
led by Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
. Kepa's father was an early supporter of New Zealand Company
New Zealand Company
The New Zealand Company originated in London in 1837 as the New Zealand Association with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand. The association, and later the company, intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of...
settlement established at Wanganui and served as a constable in the Armed Police Force.
During the First Taranaki War
First Taranaki War
The First Taranaki War was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori and the New Zealand Government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand's North Island from March 1860 to March 1861....
, Te Kepa made clear his continuing loyalty to the government. In 1864, the Māori tribes on the Upper Wanganui River
Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...
converted to Hauhau
Hauhau
Hauhau is a Māori term that was applied to a branch of the religious movement Pai Marire, founded by Te Ua Haumēne of the Taranaki tribe in New Zealand in the 1860s. The movement inculcated that Māori would regain land that they had lost to Europeans during the colonisation process of New...
-ism and threatened to invade Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
town. Te Kepa led the tribes of the lower river to defend the town. The result was the Battle of Moutoa Island
Second Taranaki War
-Background and causes of the war:The conflict in Taranaki had its roots in the First Taranaki War, which had ended in March 1861 with an uneasy truce. Neither side fulfilled the terms of the truce, leaving many of the issues unresolved...
and a substantial defeat for the Hauhau, on 14 May, 1864.
This was the start of six years of warfare for Te Kepa, always fighting on the side of the Pākehā
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
government, usually working closely with Captain Thomas McDonnell
Thomas McDonnell
Thomas McDonnell was a 19th century New Zealand public servant, military leader and writer.-Childhood and Early Life:Thomas McDonnell, Jnr was born to Thomas McDonnell, Snr., an early British merchant and speculator who served a brief term as Additional British Resident, and his wife Anna...
. In February 1865, Te Kepa and his force of Wanganui Māori warriors took part in the attack on Ohoutahi Pa, a major Hauhau stronghold. Following the murder of the missionary Volkner
Volkner Incident
The Völkner Incident describes the murder of the missionary Carl Sylvius Völkner in New Zealand in 1865 and the consequent reaction of the Government of New Zealand in the midst of the New Zealand land wars.-Background:...
, they were shipped to the other side of the country, to Opotiki
Opotiki
Opotiki is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Opotiki District Council and comes under the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.-Population:* of the town: 4176 - Male 1,989, Female 2,187...
. However they soon returned to Taranaki and were involved in the capture of Wereroa Pa and then the relief of Pipiriki
Second Taranaki War
-Background and causes of the war:The conflict in Taranaki had its roots in the First Taranaki War, which had ended in March 1861 with an uneasy truce. Neither side fulfilled the terms of the truce, leaving many of the issues unresolved...
.
Te Kepa gradually built up a personal contingent of between one and two hundred warriors, men who were paid by the government but whose loyalty was to him and his mana as a fighting chieftain. In 1868, he and his men were involved with the insurgency of Titokowaru
Titokowaru's War
-Cause and background of the war:The immediate cause of the war was the confiscation of vast areas of Māori land in Taranaki by the Government under the powers of the punitive New Zealand Settlements Act 1863...
. Te Kepa commanded the rearguard during the retreat from Te Ngutu o Te Manu after the government forces had been defeated and again in similar circumstances after the Battle of Moturoa. Te Kepa commanded the force pursuing Titokowaru
Titokowaru
Riwha Titokowaru became a Māori leader in the Taranaki region and one of the most successful opponents of British colonisation anywhere....
after he abandoned his Pa at Tauranga Ika. It was the first time that British soldiers, officers and men had served under a Māori commander, by this time Te Kepa had been promoted to the rank of major.
As soon as Titokowaru ceased to be threat, Te Kepa and his men were transported to the East Coast to join in the pursuit of Te Kooti
Te Kooti's War
Te Kooti's War was one of the New Zealand Wars, the series of conflicts fought between 1845 and 1872 between the Māori and the colonizing European settlers, often referred to as Pākehā. This particular conflict covered most of the East Cape region and the centre of the North Island of New Zealand...
Such was his reputation that the attack on Te Porere near Tongariro was delayed until Te Kepa and his men arrived; they were marching up the Wanganui River in the face of snowstorms and volcanic eruptions.
The final pursuit of Te Kooti through the Ureweras was largely handed over to Te Kepa and another Māori war leader, Ropata Wahawaha
Ropata Wahawaha
Ropata Wahawaha was a Ngāti Porou war chief who rose to prominence during New Zealand's East Cape War and to senior command during Te Kooti's War.-Childhood and names:...
. He and his men returned to Wanganui in 1871. Over the following years he was honoured with the Queen's Sword of Honour, 1870, the New Zealand Cross 1874 and the New Zealand War Medal, 1876.
In 1871 Te Kepa was appointed as a land purchase officer in Wanganui. He saw this as an opportunity to correct some of the wrongs done to his people during his childhood, a chance to regain some of the land they had lost to the Ngati Raukawa by conquest. This almost brought the tribes to war, Te Kepa threatened to call upon his personal following of warriors if the government did not back up his decisions. There were some violent clashes before the issue went in his favour.
In 1880, Te Kepa set up a Māori Trust to protect Māori land from European buyers, a large area of inland Wanganui was declared off limits to all Europeans. This provoked the government, but Te Kepa's large personal following of warriors meant they were very cautious in dealing with him. In addition, he had the support of some members of the government, including the Native Minister, John Ballance
John Ballance
John Ballance served as the 14th Premier of New Zealand at the end of the 19th century, and was the founder of the Liberal Party .-Early life:...
.
During his remaining years Te Kepa sought to unify the two races as one people based on equality and respect.
Te Kepa Te Rangihiwnui died at Putiki on 15 April, 1898.