MEN OFIARK AMOMOTE MAORIS

NZ Truth, Issue 76, 1 December 1906, Page 7

MEN OFIARK AMOMOTE MAORIS

WIREMJI XE WAHAROA, J The Maori "WiarwicP or King-maker. fie Petitions, the !|s§etf Iy. for a Committee of Inquiry into the Causes ofihe \^-7r^ives Evidence at Wellington— Hts Gharaeter and Death. • , ... .. ''\;i \ (By*"QiiD CHUM.")

Mr.. Fox,., whilom £rgrnier ; <>f . New Zea- . and, did . not^pbriy.^qfa ';.', the , Jpiristi'an principle of lov'fng nis n.e,ignt>or' as' hinv •elf, m the ca|o. of TV^ah^tfS's,. Tflr; Foi took everjf opportunity, '^f "i^yiling': tVio ;i King-maker ari# 5 * ende&v'oiHn^ - to/; belittle him m the estimation of both "Kiirbpeans and Maoris. Mr. <Fox2( afterwards Sir William) • emigrated "■ to : Ne*. , Zewiland •• ia 1842, and m the following year SUCCEEDED ■■ CAPTAIN tV A KBFIELD ns the Resident VAgept of '>he - Ne*T; Zealand Land Company at Nelson* As one . concerned m the huge' monopoly m land, originated m. England, .- by „*he-. Wakefields, it could aot be expected that Mr. Fox, any more than |-^h»-. WakeJields, Would have much love for the native owners of the soil whom they sought to dispossess. But the - King-maker was not of the sort to knuckle down to Mr. Fox or any other crafty -politician when he knew that he had ■right; on lus side. The blunders of . Colonel Browne and his aiders and abettors haft hrpught. on the Taranaki War and much bloodshed, rapine'and murder, and. much gross . injustice was the outcome. . ; Sir George Clrey, by arrangement, ni^t the chief at Taranaki, and it Hamilton, on the Waikato River, ;ho met THE KING-MAKER, • on Mayday, 1866. The Governor persuaded, the King-maker -to. attend at Wellington at the next meeting of the General Assembly, to give information on Maori affairs. He consented ; but prior to undertaking the journey he petitioned the Assembly, praying that a Commission might be: appointed to inquire into the • causes 6t the war- On August 9 Mr. Graham presented the petition. Mr. Brodie had a notice on the paper condemning the receipt of communications or petitions from NATIVES IN REBELLION, and Mr. Graham's motion, was; discussed. Mr. TJrodie— who, "I think,, is T/be... same gentleman who for a few 'lays i .held : office m the Heales Ministry m Victoria ; as Commissioner of Trade and Customs, and who, being financially embarrassed, resigned and emigrated, to the of Otago— denounced its reception, and denounced Mr. Graham's communications with a rebel race or a 7 rebel ' hlef ;<'■■■ air, , Weld entreated the Housa^ not /ta? repel • the Maori when there was a sign pt better and brighter days. ;'• The language of } the petition was said to be irregular, but Mr. Weld trusted that the Bouse; would bear with it. A.t. least, let the; House, "before striking, Ust9ti'.'' Mr. I Fitzgerald supported the reS^HS*.?*,ll^petition. Whon it spoke of RANGIRLRI AS A MURDWRER". the language must be*' lobked upon. as> poetical, nothing more.. .. Air, Stafford 'thought it would be a grievous error to> make the King-maker iihl^'-itttfat; the; Maoris hald "nothing ttf'-expect 'from the!; ■ympathy or justice of the House." Mr. Brodie's motion was lost oh ,a, ; -Ulv}aion: by 16 votes to 2. .'Mr. Bfoaie-jmust bave considered himself a minnow tttiKfrigst; such big ssh as Weld, StMb^di 1 Fo^y an<l, their colleagues. ■•.t"'' y ' --,V .'.''. , On the following day the' petition was: received. The ?<ing-mf.feer's %yir'da- rwere heard, Mr, Brodie's - r btijefetipiyj .»ptw,ith- i standing. , Said Te , ffi&harba ; VMr, .Fox and his friends haye>w4t t^ i »s ueen ' I<^ ic " i tiria-_w.oc4s_ldkmasing: to my reputation, jjencu my desire that tha? .vrbqje. matter may be seen into, so . that _|t iriay, . be found who is right and whj>;'f« .wxolis. 'l eongent to point out 1 ah arbitrator.". The King-maker said that -.he 'would name ; ■■■'" '■ -'■ ; ; '- ' SIR GFjORGE ABNISY-,- .-O •-->. the Chief Justice. Hei.;j(v,ourd) :ADide :by tho decision of any arbitratpJH ;aj)ipointed »y the Queon, "that i£( to; : .Hay>-, if , Jie is m Englishman of good principle's, singleaearted, God-fearing, and fearful of doing wrong." Such a inanMn' 'Te Waharoa's estimation was Sir George Arney, who m 1858 came to New as ...Chief Justice. The King-maker recounted His efforts of peace. "Did -the --law —protect 'J'e Rangitake and Waitara? .Did, a,law, protect us, our lands and at th«tt time ? Were the Europeans'* whom 1 , the Governor sent to island— Eurp-j ropeans who drink spirits/ curse,- speak; ey illy, who make light, of those m authority—were these a- law .?, ... <T£em vtiiji I Baj', Let me set up my King, for we do; not approve, of the law. r But new, .O: friends; the law of the ; Queen is the law: to protect my King and the' vrhote .'people also." ■ • *.■:. . *r-;~j.: *■-'. ■. Sixteen members vptyefti , aga|nst>-,thev re-^ ieption of a letter, failed a,..pgtftipn, : .written by tlie King-m%ker „ before .'his tubmission to General CareyV „ Kb ]. lie: denounced the conduct "of ',t.he , "wai'. "Look nlsd — . . ' ;■'-'■'■ ;■ MAORIS HAVE BEEN' BURISLT . AL'tYE hi their dwellings." A From a point of view Te Waharoa arguad that the war m Waikato was unjust.^TwentyBe van members decided, to, receive ; > this document also., and apjpngst them Wpre the namos of such influential .^stat^men ua Dillon Bell. Carletbn, Dom6t't, Fitz-" gerald, Fitzherbert, Graham, , r Ooilonel Baiiltain, Monro, Seweil, StaEtord and Weld. '. ■•■■■ ir ' ';: : ♦ ♦ : • '*-.■" .."■ : ; ; Hut whatever might 'have beeu the thoughts o{ these Parliamentarians tts- to the justice of the complaints of-;Te-Wa-haroa, they would not .consent to . submit to arbitration the question he .'proposed . But one advantage had. been gained, violence had. qeased, and tho Crown was issuing grants to the Maoris for settlement 'purposes. ■•:;.■ The promise made At Hamilton to Sir Ceorge Oroy by the King-mjak^r was re-> «Jeemt;d. Air Oeorge' enabled h& to appear without ignominy, fbr Te Waharoa urrived nL Wellington as -a. guest «on board H.M.S. Esk, prepared to give information which might lead, to legislation m Maori affairs. „ On. August 10 yir. FiUgeraid presented tq the .Repre-, sejitatives a petition from him. They'ditT not reject it ; op the contrary, without jiotice, H was referred to a Cpßimlttee whtOi consisted of Colonel Haultain, 'Mr. Wliitaker, Mr. McLean, -Mr. J. C. lilchmoud, Dr. Featherstonej Mr. Dillon Bell, llr. G. Graham, and Mr. Pitzgerald. The petition was a long due. The ; writer had bean dwelling "at his place m preat darkness an* l sorrow of heart;" : buoodrng over the of his countoy: • ' ,'■ . %'Phe Oovc-j-iior had made sbul and ■ body rejoice by advising recourse to the Par'lJament., "which nad po*er to liK'an axccoaing- p,reat wieiglit. ; .-;The ; Jiiug-maker snlfl that two wants caused aijxiety : '•('.) That some measure, pc "fle vised : i o straighten these curvatures by reason of which we aii fell into s error-; (2) for Waikato to be fciven back to me." The ' King-mn-kfir dilated on tHd^liTSt war, re-cpunti.-.jj thu, evils which brought it about and Civuaed a rc-currence^r^He. liad- therefore sought peace, and condemned 'savage prnciicos^ 'Hut, 'O friends, befausct o i.' tt'iis MO 1 'tily r.o.nsent t:j : the lighting,; btcauso of my women anfl/Chililren hav-' iug been burni^aiive m the " r.i-e',' ! w'-.ich' Wi<6 suffered, rather 'than* 'Ihc eda;;^ of the gvrord, to consuran their flesh, i would ■ot have regaraao it:,h.acV it been gorilyvxto.."- Te Wahuroa explained that, tor ',

; himself, since £irst "wo embraced Chris.tianity, when my tribe sought utu (payment) ior our dead who had fallen, I did not give nay consent. - Then I said, i 'Stop, letr.us .repay, m o, Christian nJauner. Let peaceful living be payment for my dead.' They consented. I then drew air':riiy 'enemies to me ; they all earner, not one continued a stronger "to me; but all became related to me m the BONDS OF. CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. Then I said, 'What a good payment

(utu) this is for those who are dead— this living peacefully.' " ■ He further explained that :the Kius movement had fostered peare among the Maoris, therefore he supported it. "Follow, O Assembly, after me, and measure my step from the beginning up to the present day,. Weigh also my! words from ythe first' until now, for everything is weighed ; articles of food are weighed, a.nd clpthing is sold by measure. Land is also meted out, and should the mind of man not be weighed ? Will it not be measured ito discover its) weight and dimensions ?'' ' On' the restitution o! Waikato he wrote only the . words already given. ; Efe gave evidence, and. the Com-

mittee recomnfended that : his position be referred to- the Superintendent of the Aucklscpd Province: _' 'Another iiative 'petition the Committee reported with some kindliness. WisTakq, to whom the British .. owe. so. much, was , a .petitioner . on the subject of, a Compensation. CoUrt decision, and was advised' as to the course of pr'ocediye whicfi he should adopt.. : " Buts T^ Waliarpa's.. course] ' was "run, 1 and ■his.: efforts" -before the Select .Committee at Wellington . were the last on T-yBEItAXF rOJjVHTS COUNTRYMEN, TeL Waharpa, .his long estrangement, •frpm- the English" pepple, :-must (says Rusden) have pondered long over the restless, activity of . the members of that which his countrymen called, the "English, Comnfittee:" No subje.ct appeared to; be too.' large for its powers ; nothing too small for "its notice. With English treasure and blood, and the help of the iiative allies, the- hbstile Maoris had been put jdown. . . fJhe r thoughtful , chieftain must have speculated whether the repugnance -to tfaditi,on and rude want of reverence, winch characterised the. Renre.sentatiyes, might not m the. end lead them to trample on the authority of the Queen.*' ; As-Mx. Kusden remarksi -. "Al-l I'eady .some" of the early^ servants of the Voracious New Zealand Company had been m power. One of them, Mr. Fox, had been chief Minister m 1861, and m 1868, with a brother lawyer, Frederick Whitaker, had made demands of conflsca-: tion, ' which ;the ekile of whple' tribes would not have : Satiated." Then the Governor and Mr, Cardwell, the Secretary of State, had compelled Mr. Fox to yield... In 1866, when Te Waharoa came to Wellington, a new order of things . had . .arisen; Mr. . Stafford, the hea"d of the Ministry Which had brouipfht about the great injustice of Wattara, was again ia power. "The enemies of the Maoris seemed over able to crawl into office." In publish&d despatches and speeches m England, it : had been admit..te,d that her Majesty's Ministers had disapproved .of 1 much of the conbscation policy, which, however, theyi. shrunk from restraining. "Te Waharoa was familiar with ..scripture, , and . J?as . now brought face to face With a rod which was thus swallowing up its! opponents." OtjD-MAORIA WAS PASSING AWAY. The "Korero" of tribes had ceased to bo a power m thfc land. Tho Fnrliainent of the white man bad become, if not an object i.at- respect,' an irresistible engine for good or evil. Te Waharoa went back to his own place, whither nr"- of Ms tribe had been permitted to /' ourn, and died m a few months. , One authority : saVB that he nevei 1 reached his home, but .that he died iri- being . earned across the ranges which encompass his loved ivtiA faithfully . served Waik;>.to. His friends said that he died of a broken heart. Ilis calumniators looked upon his c"ecth a3 enly "the fall of another leaf trom th^.froq w\iii.-h civilisation" was with propriety dtv^i-oyinp.". To Waharoa, i honorable, kind,, peaceful, and Christian, ho only y»um«d for the prosperity and

happiness of his peoplt. As t!ie liirftorian jujtJy says, liq had -.striveii . equal ffoijesty o.g;).i/Ksc ilie.: ' inexorable i Hewi, and the machinations and injusr I tices of the .English colonists. And as • a ■foQohipens'e -'Tel- WahavOa haci been ma- ! ligned by both sides. ' After the j BATTLE AT KANGIRIRI, Te Waharoa had worker} hard for peace. In Maori fashion.. he- had sent the British General a token of his submission— his mere. "But for- the vanity of Mr. Fox ' peace might then have been secured." When General CamerPn's overwhelming forces marched up the valley of the. Wai-* kato, tho baffled and disappointed King* maker retreated from point to. iiolnt, finding no refuge, and bitterly complaining that professing Christians burned' women and children m Maori whares at" "Rangiaohia. "Leave it to bo for England," he said,^"to adopt the putrefactions of my "ancestors, viz., killing women and children and burning people* ajive m their sleeping houses. ( The Maori people assented to me, and what I said to them." , ' .. ' . * ■»..*• . . ■• ! We are. told that Sir- George Grey did what he could to smooth . the, way. The tidings of the death pf the chief caused, .•?ays Mr; Busden, one of tbose kindly messages which have so often touched the hearts pf Englishmen. "The Queen desires that his tribe be made aware that she laments the loss which they have

sustained. She hopes that the EXAMPLE OF HIS SBL-F-CONTROL, and the wise advise which he has boQueathpd to. them, will load them to forget the contest which is past, and to unite with .their European fellow-subjects m those peaceful pursuits which . will best ensure their own comfort and improvement, and promote the prosperity pf their ffommon cpuntry." Amongst the many,- actors m stirring times no. reproach upon him can be cast. From the time -vWhen, at Tarapipipi m 1844, he enforced restitution' at Remuera, until . he j died, receiving such tardy assistance and comfort as Sir George Grey's Government afforded him, "he Is- seen as thp

embodiment of Christian virtue m a Maori nobleman." Admitted that he was not successful m- • • REDRESSING HIS COUNTRY'S ; ... :• WRONOS ; but it may be, as a writer truly • obser-r yes, that success was impossible. "After the Duke' v of Newcastle, Secretary of 'State, sanctioned the robbery at Waitara it could hardly be hoped for.'.'-, Te ' Waharoa's example justified the grant of representation to the Maori rsyce, which I Sir Georgß, i i Grey livod »- to see 'accomplished, though. not completely, m 1867. j

Tho ©nemiea of the King-maker strove to aSfsail his character by quoting Uie letter m which he announced that the invasion of the WaaiMnto coinpellcd iiiai to arm ■

m self-defence, «u<l by assorting tliat he subsequently adopted the- Hau Hau "religion." ilis- letter seemed to imply that he would not spare tho unowned; I • {jut it. will be .observed that no deed o£ . his conformed to the letter. Quite the j reverse. Wherever his influence was ! great chivalrous courtesy to the wounded, ns at the Gate Pah, prevailed. ■ . * * *■ *I>ur\n.g the . King-inaker!s. last ill.ne^s.nP jPai. Marire. ceremony was tolerated near him,. He eyer carried with him . his Bitye, and so long ias he had strength he read' it. When moved from place to place, his tribe as they raised him. prayed thus,' "Almighty Q*>d, we beseech Thco to give strength to To Waharoa while we , remove him from, this place. 1i it 'please Thee, restore him again to perfect strength ; if that is not Thy -will, take him, we beseech Thee, to Heaven." When Te priori asked, "What shall I do anil the Maoris your children when you are dead?" the dying chief, with the Bible m his hand, replied, "You must stand by the Government and the law ; . the law will 'make it right." He had always shown the same tendency. His father, though he invited the missionaries to his territory, did not abandon his ferocity. It was otherwise with the King-maker. . He did not love the! METHODS OF HIS ANCESTORS, and grieved his father by shrinking from t|iem. 'When a, missionary had been rohbe.f}, the 3\ing r raake,r ..followed t.he robbers and made them disgorge. When he was baptised he said that he would no more go to war. At a great meeting he spoke with, the New Testament m his hand. On 0.110 of the posts of a chapel which ho erected 'at a special pah was a code of . rules for the .guidance of tho Christian cpmmunity. jEiis determination not lo go to war was pursued until ' GENERAL CAMERON. CrtOSSEjI) THE MAUNGATAWHIRI. ' "I am now absolved from niy promise," said lie; "for this is a war "of defence." . Te Waharoa "went .before his Maker as a good mail who had roiv-'hia' : course faithfully m tlie troublous career ! forced upon him by the crimes of. -■■others." i