Wiremu Kingi

Who was Wiremu Kingi?

Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitake, Māori Chief of the Te Āti Awa Tribe, was leader of the Māori forces in the First Taranaki War.

He was born in 1795-1800 in Manukorihi pa, near Waitara. He was one of the 3 sons of Reretawhangawhanga and Te Whetu. He and his father were involved in the major disturbances and migrations caused by the Musket Wars. They were probably involved in the sieges of Pukerangiora and Otaka in 1832. They also probably fought alongside Te Rauparaha during his tribe's journey from Kawhia to Waikanae in 1822. He returned in 1824, and led the tribe to settle in Waikanae in 1834. However, he is mainly associated with Waitara in Northern Taranaki.

In 1839 Colonel William Wakefield toured the area and persuaded the Māori chiefs to sign various deeds that transferred ownership of most of the tribal land to the New Zealand Company. To what extent this was deliberate fraud and to what extent it was an example of two cultures failing to understand each other is hard to say. However, the transaction was to cause a great deal of trouble and eventually led the two people to war.

Te Āti Awa initially accepted the changes brought about by the arrival of the Pākehā and their new government. In May 1840 their chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi and in 1843–1844 they built a large and beautiful church for the missionaries. On 31 January 1842 the whole of Northern Taranaki from Cape Egmont northwards to the Tongaporutu River was purchased by the crown from Kati Te Wherowhero, who later became the first Maori king. The deed was printed in both English and Maori. The price paid was 150 pounds, 2 horses, 2 saddles, 2 bridles and 100 blankets. The land sold to the government included all the land around Waitara which was under the mana of Te Wherowhero. However, disenchantment began when the Land Commissioner, William Spain, awarded the New Plymouth settlers 200 km² of tribal land around New Plymouth. Wiremu Kingi wrote to Governor Robert FitzRoy making it clear that they would not yield their tribal lands, particularly around Waitara. Their case was weakened in the minds of settlers because the bulk of the tribe were then living around Waikanae about 250 km to the south since 1822-23. However, despite opposition from the Government, they returned to Taranaki 25years later, in 1848 and settled around Waitara.