Tamati Waka Nene
Encyclopedia
Tāmati Wāka Nene was a Māori rangatira
(chief) who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War
.
, the Bay of Islands
and Hokianga
regions of the North Island
of New Zealand
. He was related to Hongi Hika
and could trace his ancestry by a number of lines back to Rāhiri, the founder of the Ngā Puhi iwi
. He rose to be one of the war leaders of the Ngā Puhi taking an active part in the Musket Wars
of 1818-1820. He successfully took his warriors on a rampage the whole length of the North Island, killing and plundering as he went until he reached Cook Strait
. It is said that he advised Te Rauparaha
to acquire muskets to enhance his influence.
In 1828 he successfully averted a war between the Māori of the Bay of Islands and the Hokianga. Then his older brother moved south to what is now the Auckland
region, Hauraki, and soon after the paramount chief of the area died of wounds received in battle. Wāka Nene now became the highest ranking chief among his own people and one of the three primary chiefs of the area. At baptism, he added "Tāmati Wāka" (Thomas Walker) to his name.
Early on he had recognized the value of trade with Pākehā
and used his position as chief to protect and encourage both the traders and the Methodist missionaries. He was baptised in 1839 taking the name Thomas Walker or Tāmati Wāka. He also worked with the British Resident, James Busby
to regularize the relationships between the two races. In 1835 he signed the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand
which proclaimed the sovereignty of the United Tribes.
At the negotiations leading up to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
Ngapuhi chief Te Wharerahi
disagreed with his brothers Rewa and Moka 'Kainga-mataa'
and spoke for peace and the acceptance of the European, and was duly supported by Nene and Patuone. Nene's influence was significant in persuading many of the tribes to sign the Treaty. However it is probable that he took the document at its face value; it is extremely unlikely that he saw himself ceding any of his authority as chief of his people.
The next few years saw a considerable loss of revenue and influence for the northern tribes. The capital of the new country was soon moved down to Auckland. Customs duties were also imposed. Then the Government began to interfere with the management of land, specifically they forbade any further felling of kauri trees, Agathis australis.
Most of the northern chiefs, including Nene, had serious concerns with workings of the new Treaty. However Nene was still prepared to negotiate and to hope for the best and gave Governor Robert FitzRoy
promises to keep the peace on behalf of his fellow chiefs.
So when Hone Heke
cut down the flag pole
for the fourth time, Nene was mightily offended, feeling that his mana
had been trampled on and Nene was already at war with Heke when the British troops began to arrive on the scene. They fought side by side, as allies but with almost complete incomprehension about each other's intentions. Nene described the British commander, Colonel Despard, as 'a very stupid man'. Despard on the other hand said "if I want help from savages I will ask for it". History tends to support Nene's opinion. Hone Heke
was only defeated once in the conflict at Te Ahuahu
on 12 June 1845, by Nene with no help from the British.
After Ruapekapeka
, Heke and Kawiti, were ready for peace. It was Tāmati Wāka Nene they approached to negotiate with and with him that they concluded the terms. Nene then went to Auckland and told the Government that their war was over.
). He continued to advise and assist the Government on matters such as the release of Te Rauparaha
in 1848.
When George Grey
was knighted he chose Nene as one of his esquires. Then when he returned for his second term of governorship in 1860 he brought Nene a silver cup from Queen Victoria
.
Tāmati Wāka Nene died 4 August 1871 and is buried at Russell. The then Governor, George Bowen said the Nene did more than any other Māori to promote colonisation and to establish the Queen's authority.
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) who fought as an ally of the British 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...
.
Origin and mana
Tāmati Wāka Nene was born to chiefly rank being connected to most of the notable Māori families in Tai TokerauTai Tokerau
Te Pihopatanga O Te Tai Tokerau is an Episcopal polity of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Pihopatanga extends from the Bombay Hills south of Auckland through to Te Rerenga Wairua . According to the 2001 census there are approximately 25000 Māori Anglicans within...
, 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....
and 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....
regions of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
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...
. He was related 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...
and could trace his ancestry by a number of lines back to Rāhiri, the founder of the Ngā Puhi 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,...
. He rose to be one of the war leaders of the Ngā Puhi taking an active part in the Musket Wars
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more battles mainly fought between various hapū , sometimes alliances of pan-hapū groups and less often larger iwi of Māori between 1807 and 1842, in New Zealand.Northern tribes such as the rivals Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua were the first to obtain...
of 1818-1820. He successfully took his warriors on a rampage the whole length of the North Island, killing and plundering as he went until he reached Cook Strait
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
. It is said that he advised 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...
to acquire muskets to enhance his influence.
In 1828 he successfully averted a war between the Māori of the Bay of Islands and the Hokianga. Then his older brother moved south to what is now the Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
region, Hauraki, and soon after the paramount chief of the area died of wounds received in battle. Wāka Nene now became the highest ranking chief among his own people and one of the three primary chiefs of the area. At baptism, he added "Tāmati Wāka" (Thomas Walker) to his name.
Support for the Treaty of Waitangi
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...
and used his position as chief to protect and encourage both the traders and the Methodist missionaries. He was baptised in 1839 taking the name Thomas Walker or Tāmati Wāka. He also worked with the British Resident, James Busby
James Busby
James Busby is widely regarded as the "father" of the Australian wine industry, as he took the first collection of vine stock from Spain and France to Australia. Later he become a British Resident who traveled to New Zealand, involved in the drafting of the Declaration of the Independence of New...
to regularize the relationships between the two races. In 1835 he signed the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand
Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand
In New Zealand political and social history, the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand , was signed by a number of Māori chiefs in 1835, proclaimed the sovereign independence of New Zealand prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840....
which proclaimed the sovereignty of the United Tribes.
At the negotiations leading up to the signing of 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....
Ngapuhi chief Te Wharerahi
Te Wharerahi
Te Wharerahi was a highly-respected rangatira of the Ipipiri area of Aotearoa/New Zealand.- Origins and mana :...
disagreed with his brothers Rewa and Moka 'Kainga-mataa'
Moka 'Kainga-mataa'
Moka Kainga-mataa [Te Kaingamataa/Te Kaingamata/Te Kainga-mata/Te Kainga-mataa] was a Māori rangatira of the Ngā Puhi iwi from Northland in New Zealand...
and spoke for peace and the acceptance of the European, and was duly supported by Nene and Patuone. Nene's influence was significant in persuading many of the tribes to sign the Treaty. However it is probable that he took the document at its face value; it is extremely unlikely that he saw himself ceding any of his authority as chief of his people.
The next few years saw a considerable loss of revenue and influence for the northern tribes. The capital of the new country was soon moved down to Auckland. Customs duties were also imposed. Then the Government began to interfere with the management of land, specifically they forbade any further felling of kauri trees, Agathis australis.
Flagstaff War
Most of the northern chiefs, including Nene, had serious concerns with workings of the new Treaty. However Nene was still prepared to negotiate and to hope for the best and gave Governor Robert FitzRoy
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality...
promises to keep the peace on behalf of his fellow chiefs.
So when 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....
cut down the flag pole
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...
for the fourth time, Nene was mightily offended, feeling that his mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
had been trampled on and Nene was already at war with Heke when the British troops began to arrive on the scene. They fought side by side, as allies but with almost complete incomprehension about each other's intentions. Nene described the British commander, Colonel Despard, as 'a very stupid man'. Despard on the other hand said "if I want help from savages I will ask for it". History tends to support Nene's opinion. 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....
was only defeated once in the conflict at 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:*...
on 12 June 1845, by Nene with no help from the British.
After 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...
, Heke and Kawiti, were ready for peace. It was Tāmati Wāka Nene they approached to negotiate with and with him that they concluded the terms. Nene then went to Auckland and told the Government that their war was over.
Colonisation
The Government lost a great deal of mana and influence in the North as a result of the war much of which flowed to Wāka Nene. He and Heke were recognized as the two most influential men in the Tai Tokerau region. He was given a pension of one hundred pounds a year and had a cottage built for him in Kororareka (RussellRussell, New Zealand
Russell, formerly known as Kororareka, was the first permanent European settlement and sea port in New Zealand. It is situated in the Bay of Islands, in the far north of the North Island. As at the 2006 census it had a resident population of 816, an increase of 12 from 2001...
). He continued to advise and assist the Government on matters such as the release of 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...
in 1848.
When George 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:...
was knighted he chose Nene as one of his esquires. Then when he returned for his second term of governorship in 1860 he brought Nene a silver cup from Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
Tāmati Wāka Nene died 4 August 1871 and is buried at Russell. The then Governor, George Bowen said the Nene did more than any other Māori to promote colonisation and to establish the Queen's authority.