MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Daily Times, 20 February 1935, Page 5

MAORI MEMORIES

(By J.H.S. for “The Daily Times.”)

HOW FITZROY SAVED N.Z.

After the defeat at Olieawai (the waters of desire) claimed by both sides, the Maoris raised a flag of truce to enable our troops to reclaim their dead and wounded, truly a generous gesture by those who claimed victory by having inflicted double the number of their own losses. Strange to say the British casualties were then exactly the Maori magic number 100 (Kotalii rau), thirty-four dead and sixtysix wounded. Of tho dead only the officers’ bodies were mutilated by removal of certain fleshy portions, not for cannibal purposes, but to propitiate Tu, the war god. Both sides claimed victory; the British captured tho fortified Pa, but lost most men. Colonel Despard, perhaps justly, was blamed for attacking the stronghold without due preparation by artillery. When the despatch reached the Duke of Wellington at his military club in London he declared that distance alone prevented him bringing that officer to trial by court-martial. Captain Fitzroy decided at this point to give the enemy time to sue for peace, but nothing was further from their thoughts. The Press and the people were opposed to the armistice, and urged the Governor to make the enemy fear him. They declared that in the eyes of the Maoris 'wo had suffered three signal defeats, that Ileko was not subdued, that settlers and revenue were decreasing, that expenditure far exceeded revenue, rind that nothing but paper money was circulated. Captain Fitzroy replied through. London that the New Zealand Press published false reports and injured the cause of peace. In June, 1845, the House of Commons with its 395 members, displayed gross ignorance of the affairs of New Zealand in every speaker during a four days’ debate. The N.Z. Company submitted proposals for a “Proprietary Government” on the lines of that in the early days of North America. This was supported by a detail map in which the Auckland province was to be left to tho Missionaries as a separate Government. Significantly, Auckland was the only part of New Zealand in which the church had beaten the company in the acquirement of Maori lands.

Lord Stanley declared that there were insuperable difficulties in such an arrangement. In Bishop Selwyn’s farewell, to Sir George Grey in 1853 he said: “Out of evil came good. Fitzroy’s bankrupt finance brought large grants of money. The fall of Kororareka gave us large bodies of troops. It is not singular thcerfore that Capt. Fitzroy was the man who lost Kororareka and saved New Zealand.”