This land is your land, this land is my land....

The end of the Wellington Wars did not settle anything in particular apart from enforcing the NZ Company's claims to land around some of its settlements.

Grey stayed until called to South Africa. At that point he allowed a new Constitution to be introduced. This established the Provincial System. At last the settlers had a voice in Government but to their annoyance the Governor retained control over Native affairs, denying them access to Maori land.

Land (via pre-emption) remained under the control of the Governor.Despite this Maori land continued to be alienated. Donald McLean acting on behalf of the Governor was able to buy large areas of land, but not in areas which were most desired by settlers (especially in the Taranaki or Waikato) remained out of their reach.

In a reaction to the continued loss of land and the consequent loss of rangatiratanga and mana over their land some Maori began to seek an alternative. The Queen represented all of the Pakeha,

Maori should have their own King.

From 1852 Te Rauparaha and TeWhiwhi campaigned for a figure to represent all Maori. They approached several leading figures, none of who whom felt they had the necessary Mana needed for such a position.

Eventually Te Wherwhero accepted the mantle becoming King Potatau.The Kingitanga represented a challenge to settler aspirations and the Governments purse. For settlers it also represented a defiance of British control of New Zealand. They could not countenance a separatist King in a British New Zealand.The King and his supporters saw it in a different light. Besides now representing Maori (the red, black and white threads) he was keen to work with the Government.

Because of the perceived threat the Governors however lost faith in him.Governor Gore Brown it seems was determined to force the issue of who controlled the country. When Teira offered him land at Waitara it seemed a golden opportunity to show the power of Britain. Unfortnately Teira had only a minor claim to the area. Wiremu Kingi (te Atiawa) had a stronger claim and so did the Waikato who had driven the Te Atiawa off the land during the Musket Wars.

When the war broke out the British and settlers found themselves surrounded and penned into New Plymouth. The ring of modern Pa which encircled the town became a challenge which first Colonel Gold then General Pratt unsuccessfully attacked with cannon then sap.Neither seemed to appreciate the tactic that kept them occupied with relatively unimportant military targets. The war meandered along with the Maori out-digging the Imperial Troops.

The involvement of Kingitanga warriors appeared to confirm the Pakeha belief that the King intended to enforce a Land League and to stand in the way of British law by stopping the sale by Teira of the Waitara. The challenge to the rule of law seems to have been a Government preoccupation, as many settlers recognised the weakness of Teiras claim to the land.The end of the war was claimed as victory by the returning Grey although his failure to punish the ‘rebels’ seems to indicate the weak case that they had and their inability to defeat an enemy who would not stay still. As it happens Grey believed he needed to strike at the heart of Maori resistance – the King in the Waikato

Flour and Sugar

(New 2011) In class we talked about Grey's policies after the 1840 conflicts. Having secured peace in the North and subdued the South he set about acquiring land, lots of land. With the help of McLean he purchased 33,000,000 acres (about half the country) almost all of the South island and a tenth of the North. Much of this was accomplished under the 'Flour & Sugar' policy. McLean used Hui to negotiate the sales of land, often exploiting tribal issues to encourage the dispossession of Maori from their land. Korero was often aided by the gifts which flowed to the Chiefs.


From http://lossenelin.livejournal.com/99938.html

"Settlers were dependent on Maori for markets, primary production, and coastal and river transport while Maori were dependent on the settlers for trade. By the 1850s Maori consumed an estimated £500,000 worth of imported European goods per year, and this want for European goods was a likely motivator for land sales, which were the easiest source of cash for Maori, although they were involved in many other economic ventures, and often working for wages in the Pakeha economy. Others sold land for different reasons; to attract Pakeha to Maori areas for trade, to meet debts and to gain capital either for the development of remaining land or for arms and ammunition.

From a Pakeha perspective the trade that occurred between the two groups was largely done for the benefit of settlement, for instance Governor George Grey's 'flour and sugar' policy of aid and education to Maori was focused on areas where he hoped to get land. In this pre-taxation era state funds were partly derived from profits on land transactions. Grey justified land deals where the Crown resold land at a profit on the basis that the real payment would be long term Maori prosperity, but in practice it was a mechanism for dispossession. Land sales also had the effect of allowing Maori entrepreneurs to emerge, using profit from land sales for themselves rather than their kin groups".

Increasingly the loss of land began to concern Maori, especially those who were aware of the impact on other indigenous peoples caused by land loss.

the 1840's fightback.

Te Rangihaeta was outraged by the lack of tikanga practised in Wellington. Ngatitoa had always been the the pre-eminent Iwi in the region. Under the leadership of Te Rauapraha they had travelled south from Kawhia taking Ngati Mutunga and Te Atiawa under their protectorship. In uti for their support alnong the way, they gifted them (the right to occupy) land in Wellington and the Hutt valley.

Maori land ownership is difficult to quantify but conquest and occupancy gave Ngatitoa rights over the land. Ngati Mutunga transferred that land to other hapu when they left the Hutt for the Chathams. Ngatitoa retained its Rangatiratanga. When this land was 'sold' to settlers Te Rangiaheata expected recompense as required by tikanga, but initially received nothing. When problems developed between Settlers and Maori in the area he travelled north to support their (and his own) claims.

He supported the fighting in the Hutt, even when he did recieve some comprensation, but found he was battling not only Grey but also some of his own Iwi who resented his presence and his interference. Greys fait accompli against Te Rauparaha diminished Ngatitoa mana and ability to fight. Grey then forced almost all Maori out of the Wellington area despite an agreement to allow retention of gardens and sacred grounds. With little support and facing Redcoats not Settlers, Rangihaeta was forced out of area and into Porirua. Building a fighting Pa away from the coast to negate the British gunboats only slowed the ineveitable and Rangihaeta was forced to abandon his claims in the region. Grey appeared to be beating the Maori and was feted by Settlers.

Te Mamaku had supported Rangihaeta and withdrew back to his Iwi near Petre (Wanganui) when Wellington was lost. He raised some problems for settlers resulting in the killing of a settler family. Local Maori were angry at his interference and the possibility that they might loose 'their' Pakeha. They chased down the murderers and handed them over to the Settler administration. Te Mamaku fought the Army at St Johns Wood near Wanganui in an indecisive battle but abandoned his campaign bcaause of a lack of support. Like Rangihaeta he also retired into the hinterland. Grey chose to retain his new found reputation by not chasing either into the interior.