Wikipedia

User:Zawed/Sandbox1

< User:Zawed

Battle of Omarunui
Part of East Cape War
Date12 October 1866
Location
Omarunui, New Zealand
Result Government victory
Belligerents

New Zealand

Pai Mārire
Commanders and leaders
George Whitmore Te Rangihiroa
Panapa

The Battle of Omarunui was an engagement that took place on 12 October 1866 in the East Cape of New Zealand's North Island during the East Cape War.

Background

edit

From 1843 to 1872, there were a series of conflicts in New Zealand between some local Māori people on one side, and British imperial and colonial forces and their Māori allies on the other. These clashes are collectively termed the New Zealand Wars. While some of the wars of this period were as a result of land confiscations or clashes with the Māori King Movement, many of the later conflicts were due to the rise of prophetic Māori leaders and religious movements which threatened the autonomy of the colonial government.[1] These movements also subverted tribalism so often were met with hostility by the leaders of many iwi (tribes) as well.[2]

One such movement was Pai Mārire, which was founded by Te Ua Haumēne in 1862 in the Taranaki region. Although it initially espoused messages of peace, as the religion spread through the central North Island, some of its followers gained a reputation for violence. Consequently, Pai Mārire was of great concern to European settlers. Apostles of Pai Mārire began to make their presence felt on the East Coast by early 1865, and made several hundred converts among the local iwi. One of the leaders, Kereopa Te Rau, then murdered the missionary Carl Volkner at Opotiki on 3 March, sparking a series of punitive expeditions against Pai Mārire in the region.[2][3][4]

In the Poverty Bay, there was fighting between Ngāti Porou factions; kūpapa aligned to the colonial government and Pai Mārire adherents respectively. In November 1865, after a siege at the pā of Waerenga-a-Hika, the Pai Mārire surrendered to colonial militia and kūpapa of Ngāti Porou. In the Northern Hawke's Bay, Ngati Kahungunu territory, there was similar factional fighting between those tribe members following Pai Mārire and their kupapa opponents. This ended in January 1866 after colonial militia and Ngati Porou kūpapa were brought in to defeat the Pai Mārire.[5] These actions largely suppressed the Pai Mārire movement within the lowlands of Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay but in the inland mountainous area, there remained pockets of Pai Mārire followers. This was a concern to Superintendent for Hawke's Bay, Donald McLean, who sought greater support from Ngāti Kahungunu as a defence to the inland iwi.[6]

Among these inland iwi was Ngāti Hineuru, which was concentrated on the villages of Te Haroto and Tarawera, in the hill country over 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the northwest of Napier.[7][8] The leader of the iwi, Te Rangihiroa, and its prophet Panapa, agitated for action against the town of Napier. They were encouraged by messages of support from Kingite leaders, including Rewi Maniapoto, and sent scouts into Napier to collect intelligence on its military strength.[7] By September 1866, there were widespread rumours of the potential for a raid or attack on Napier. A taua (war party) of 80 or so warriors, led by Te Rangihiroa and Panapa, then arrived at Petane, to the north of Napier, on 7 September. They claimed to have been invited by McLean for talks. However, this was likely a ploy by McLean, seeking to place pressure on Ngāti Kahungunu rangitara (chiefs). The taua, having burnt down the community's small church, departed after a few weeks without having had any talks with McLean.[6]

Prelude

edit

The Ngāti Hineuru taua made its way southeast to the lowlands, arriving at Te Pōhue. There their numbers were increased to about 130, mainly due to men from Wairoa joining the taua. The party also included warriors from other iwi; among them were Te Rangitahau and Peita Kotuku, from Taupo and the King Country respectively.[7]

Panapa then led about 100 men to Omarunui, while Te Rangihiroa retained 25 men and their horses. He was to attack Napier from the north at night. Meanwhile, at the same Panapa's men was to attack the settlements about the southern outskirts of Napier, before making their way into the town itself. It was expected that the sacking of Napier would encourage an uprising by other Pai Mārire followers in the region as well as elsewhere in the country.[7]

Major James Fraser of the Hawke's Bay Military Settlers, a militia unit, commanded a troop that was making for Petane. They were tasked with cutting off the retreat of any Pai Mārire from Omarunui, as well as stopping reinforcements coming down from Te Pōhue.[9]

Omarunui

edit

Omarunui is located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the southwest of Napier.[2] Although described as a pā (hillfort), it was essentially a village of several huts surrounded by a fence on three sides, and bounded by the Tutaekuri River on the remaining side. There were several fenced enclosures within the village.[10][11]

Battle

edit

The militia forded the river and reached the shelter of the bank. The defenders refrained from opening fire; according to Cowan they were waiting for an indication that Te Rangihiroa's attack on Napier had started.[12]

Panapa was killed in the fighting at Omarunui, one of at least 23 defenders to have met this fate. About 30 were wounded and taken prisoner, along with 40 others. Some men escaped from the pā but were chased down by the cavalry. Of the attackers, two warriors of Ngāti Kahungunu were killed and four wounded. There was one fatality among the militia and nine wounded. At Petane twelve of the Pai Mārire, including Te Rangihiroa, were killed and three taken prisoner.[13][14]

Aftermath

edit

The defeat of the Pai Mārire at Omarunui largely saw the end of the presence of the movement in the East Coast region.[15] The land of Ngāti Hineuru was confiscated and many of those made prisoner after the battle were held captive without trial on the Chatham Islands. There they became followers of the warrior Te Kooti, another prisoner who had developed his own religion: Ringatu. Te Kooti led a mass escape from the Chathams, stealing a ship and returning to the East Cape of the North Island to begin what became known as Te Kooti's War.[16][17][18]

After the battle, Omarunui itself was initially made tapu (sacred), on account of the deaths that took place there, but was later sold. The bodies of the dead buried on the battle site were disinterred and reburied elsewhere.[10] In 1916, as the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Omarunui approached, a group of veterans sought to commemorate the engagement. A memorial to the engagement was built on a section of the battle site that was donated by its owner. John Davies Ormond, the Member of Parliament for the area at the time of the engagement, unveiled the memorial on 12 October 1916.[19] A second memorial was raised at the Petane battle site the same year.[20] Over time the memorial at Omarunui became seen as offensive to Māori and was vandalised in the 1990s, leaving only the base portion in place.[21][Note 1]

Notes

edit

Footnotes

edit
  1. ^ Battersby notes that many of the local Māori are likely descendants of the kūpapa that fought alongside the militia in the battle.[21]

Citations

edit
  1. ^ McGibbon 2000, pp. 370–371.
  2. ^ a b c McGibbon 2000, pp. 379–380.
  3. ^ Keenan 2021, pp. 224–225.
  4. ^ Watters, Steve. "Pai Marire". New Zealand History. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. ^ Belich 1998, pp. 209–210.
  6. ^ a b Crosby 2015, pp. 307–308.
  7. ^ a b c d Cowan 1956, pp. 137–138.
  8. ^ Battersby 2000, p. 10.
  9. ^ Battersby 2000, p. 36.
  10. ^ a b Battersby 2000, p. 29.
  11. ^ Prickett 2002, pp. 130–131.
  12. ^ Cowan 1956, p. 140.
  13. ^ Crosby 2015, p. 309.
  14. ^ O'Malley 2019, p. 187.
  15. ^ Keenan 2021, p. 226.
  16. ^ McGibbon 2000, p. 382.
  17. ^ Belich 1998, pp. 217–219.
  18. ^ O'Malley 2019, p. 188.
  19. ^ "Ōmarunui NZ Wars memorial". New Zealand History. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  20. ^ Green 2010, pp. 192–196.
  21. ^ a b Battersby 2000, p. 27.

References

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Zawed/Sandbox1&oldid=1304983327"