The Establishment of the Kīngitanga
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, first arikinui, or king, of the Kīngitanga
"Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi"
"With red and black the work will be complete"
(proverb encouraging teamwork to overcome adversity, colours refer to traditional kowhaiwhai patterns)
Flags snapped and writhed in the gentle breeze caressing Ngāruawāhia, where the many iwi of the Waikato gathered to crown a king. This place had always symbolised unity. It was here, two hundred or so years ago, when Te Ngaere of Ngāti Tamainupō eloped with a woman, Heke-i-te-rangi of the Ngāti Maniapoto, causing tension between their tribes. Upon the birth of the couple's first child, Ngāti Maniapoto was invited to take part in the celebrations. Te Ngaere's father named his infant grandson in honour of the Ngāti Maniapoto, and in doing so ensured the lasting reconciliation of the two iwi. It was then that Te Ngaere shouted "Wāhia ngā rua!" (break open the food pits!) and the two peoples feasted in friendship and brotherhood. Today would mark the union of many more peoples. Te Wherowhero had initially declined the offer of kingship, due to his advanced age. But eventually he relented, and in his acceptance speech here he called on his people to "hold fast to love, to the law, and to faith in God". The chiefs gathered here had made Te Wherowhero a repository of their own mana, and now his successes, and those of the embryonic kingdom he headed, were tied to the various rangatira whom he had the right to command. Together they would prosper, or they would fall. But either way, they would do so with honour.
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From Primitivism to Politics: The Political Development of New Zealand Natives:
Whilst the United Tribes of New Zealand was initially limited to no further south than Tāmaki Makaurau, European settlement continued unabated elsewhere, where regulatory mechanisms didn't exist for the prevention of British encroachment. One of the most significant developments to arise in response to this phenomenon was the King Movement, or Kīngitanga. This movement developed as a result of the revival of tribal councils, or runanga, from 1853 onwards. In May 1854, a large meeting, with about 2,000 Māori leaders in attendance, was held at Manawapou in south Taranaki, where speakers urged concerted opposition to land sales. This provided a key opportunity for Te Rauparaha's son, Tamihana Te Rauparaha, who had visited England in 1851 and was a convert to Christianity. He had returned to New Zealand with a new vision: to have the tribes of New Zealand unite into a single political entity, under a monarch that could stand on an equal footing with the Pākehā Queen Victoria. It was also believed that by adopting a single common head, the Māori tribes could put aside their quarrels and bring law and order to the land.
Several candidates who were asked to accept the title refused. In February 1857, a few weeks after an important runanga in Taupo, Wiremu Tamihana, a chief of the Ngati Haua iwi of eastern Waikato, who became known as the 'kingmaker', circulated a proposal to appoint Te Wherowhero as king. Te Wherowhero had an illustrious lineage, a descendant of Hoturoa, captain of the Tainui waka that had brought his people to New Zealand from Eastern Polynesia. He also had connections with other iwi and was a fearsome warrior in his youth. Despite initial resistance, he eventually accepted the kingship. Prior to adopting the title of arikinui, Te Wherowhero was already a major chieftain, commanding 5,000 immediate followers and holding bountiful territory with vast potato and wheat cultivations alongside rivers and lakes teeming with fish, birds and eels.
The flag flown at Ngāruawāhia on the proclamation of Te Wherowhero as Māori King
Adopting the name Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the new king immediately went about placing a moratorium on European settlement in Kingite territory, defining Maungatautari, a mountain in the Waikato, as the boundary between Kingite territory and that of the European settlements and the United Tribes. Thomas Gore Browne, who had replaced Resident Thomas McDonnell as representative of Britain, with the upgraded title of Consul, was concerned at the development. Consul Browne expressed his fear that the King Movement, if successful, would threaten not only the capacity of the British to establish new settlements, but also the ability of the British to maintain the security of their existing towns and farms.
Whilst support for the efforts of the Kīngitanga in opposing land sales was widespread, Pōtatau's role as king was only strongly embraced by Waikato Māori, with iwi north of Tāmaki Makaurau and south of Waikato less enthusiastic about sacrificing their rangatiratanga (sovereignty) to the Kingites. Nevertheless, throughout 1859 emissaries of the Kingites travelled throughout Te Ika-a-Māui seeking further adherents. Many of the tribes were divided, with the younger men especially seeing alignment with the Kīngitanga as the only means to earn the mana their fathers had won in battle. On 10 April 1860, three weeks after the start of the Taranaki Wars, deputations from the west coast tribes Te Āti Awa and Ngā Ruanui attended a gathering of Waikato Māori at Ngāruawāhia and tendered their formal allegiance to Pōtatau. Discussions at that runanga and another at Peria six weeks later that attracted a large group of supporters from the lower Waikato, focused on the question of whether the Kingites would intervene on the behalf of Te Āti Awa chief Wiremu Kingi. Whilst the King Movement did provide support to Kingi, this would be rather limited during Pōtatau's reign. The old king died in June 1860, succeeded by his son Matutaera Tāwhiao.
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, first arikinui, or king, of the Kīngitanga
"Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi"
"With red and black the work will be complete"
(proverb encouraging teamwork to overcome adversity, colours refer to traditional kowhaiwhai patterns)
Flags snapped and writhed in the gentle breeze caressing Ngāruawāhia, where the many iwi of the Waikato gathered to crown a king. This place had always symbolised unity. It was here, two hundred or so years ago, when Te Ngaere of Ngāti Tamainupō eloped with a woman, Heke-i-te-rangi of the Ngāti Maniapoto, causing tension between their tribes. Upon the birth of the couple's first child, Ngāti Maniapoto was invited to take part in the celebrations. Te Ngaere's father named his infant grandson in honour of the Ngāti Maniapoto, and in doing so ensured the lasting reconciliation of the two iwi. It was then that Te Ngaere shouted "Wāhia ngā rua!" (break open the food pits!) and the two peoples feasted in friendship and brotherhood. Today would mark the union of many more peoples. Te Wherowhero had initially declined the offer of kingship, due to his advanced age. But eventually he relented, and in his acceptance speech here he called on his people to "hold fast to love, to the law, and to faith in God". The chiefs gathered here had made Te Wherowhero a repository of their own mana, and now his successes, and those of the embryonic kingdom he headed, were tied to the various rangatira whom he had the right to command. Together they would prosper, or they would fall. But either way, they would do so with honour.
===
From Primitivism to Politics: The Political Development of New Zealand Natives:
Whilst the United Tribes of New Zealand was initially limited to no further south than Tāmaki Makaurau, European settlement continued unabated elsewhere, where regulatory mechanisms didn't exist for the prevention of British encroachment. One of the most significant developments to arise in response to this phenomenon was the King Movement, or Kīngitanga. This movement developed as a result of the revival of tribal councils, or runanga, from 1853 onwards. In May 1854, a large meeting, with about 2,000 Māori leaders in attendance, was held at Manawapou in south Taranaki, where speakers urged concerted opposition to land sales. This provided a key opportunity for Te Rauparaha's son, Tamihana Te Rauparaha, who had visited England in 1851 and was a convert to Christianity. He had returned to New Zealand with a new vision: to have the tribes of New Zealand unite into a single political entity, under a monarch that could stand on an equal footing with the Pākehā Queen Victoria. It was also believed that by adopting a single common head, the Māori tribes could put aside their quarrels and bring law and order to the land.
Several candidates who were asked to accept the title refused. In February 1857, a few weeks after an important runanga in Taupo, Wiremu Tamihana, a chief of the Ngati Haua iwi of eastern Waikato, who became known as the 'kingmaker', circulated a proposal to appoint Te Wherowhero as king. Te Wherowhero had an illustrious lineage, a descendant of Hoturoa, captain of the Tainui waka that had brought his people to New Zealand from Eastern Polynesia. He also had connections with other iwi and was a fearsome warrior in his youth. Despite initial resistance, he eventually accepted the kingship. Prior to adopting the title of arikinui, Te Wherowhero was already a major chieftain, commanding 5,000 immediate followers and holding bountiful territory with vast potato and wheat cultivations alongside rivers and lakes teeming with fish, birds and eels.
The flag flown at Ngāruawāhia on the proclamation of Te Wherowhero as Māori King
Adopting the name Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the new king immediately went about placing a moratorium on European settlement in Kingite territory, defining Maungatautari, a mountain in the Waikato, as the boundary between Kingite territory and that of the European settlements and the United Tribes. Thomas Gore Browne, who had replaced Resident Thomas McDonnell as representative of Britain, with the upgraded title of Consul, was concerned at the development. Consul Browne expressed his fear that the King Movement, if successful, would threaten not only the capacity of the British to establish new settlements, but also the ability of the British to maintain the security of their existing towns and farms.
Whilst support for the efforts of the Kīngitanga in opposing land sales was widespread, Pōtatau's role as king was only strongly embraced by Waikato Māori, with iwi north of Tāmaki Makaurau and south of Waikato less enthusiastic about sacrificing their rangatiratanga (sovereignty) to the Kingites. Nevertheless, throughout 1859 emissaries of the Kingites travelled throughout Te Ika-a-Māui seeking further adherents. Many of the tribes were divided, with the younger men especially seeing alignment with the Kīngitanga as the only means to earn the mana their fathers had won in battle. On 10 April 1860, three weeks after the start of the Taranaki Wars, deputations from the west coast tribes Te Āti Awa and Ngā Ruanui attended a gathering of Waikato Māori at Ngāruawāhia and tendered their formal allegiance to Pōtatau. Discussions at that runanga and another at Peria six weeks later that attracted a large group of supporters from the lower Waikato, focused on the question of whether the Kingites would intervene on the behalf of Te Āti Awa chief Wiremu Kingi. Whilst the King Movement did provide support to Kingi, this would be rather limited during Pōtatau's reign. The old king died in June 1860, succeeded by his son Matutaera Tāwhiao.