The Waikato War was the key campaign in a long conflict which is known today as the New Zealand Wars. A carved Tohu Maumahara (symbol of remembrance, pictured left) stands at Rangiriri to commemorate those who fought and fell during the battle. Nor let it from our grasp be torn! The impacts resulting from the invasion and confiscation of land caused catastrophic economic, social and cultural damage for Waikato Māori. At four key locations, imagery of what the historic sites would have looked like in the 1860s, enables visitors to visualise aspects of the combat.

The legitimacy of Kingi’s Waitara land claims was recognized in 1863, and in 1926 the New Zealand government awarded the Taranaki tribes an annual grant of £5,000 in compensation for…, …in Taranaki once again, the Waikato War began in July 1863, and the Waikato River region, the centre of the King Movement tribes, became the main target of the Europeans. When the smoke cleared, the British had seized more than one million acres of tribal territory, and the door open to Pākehā control of the North Island.
Local hero.
Following the Waikato War of July 1863 to April 1864, the once flourishing Waikato Māori economy stood in ruins — with villages destroyed, crops razed and livestock looted. For years, Māori farmers in the Waikato region had prospered, growing much of the wheat, potatoes and maize that fed Auckland’s hungry settlers. The Waikato War Driving Tour app will take you on a unique journey to visit 13 sites of significance to the Waikato campaign. Seventeen Europeans and up to 160 Māori were killed during the Ōrākau engagement, most during the escape.

With assistance from local Māori friendly to the British, Cameron’s men were guided around the pā’s southern flank.

On 21 February 1864 a combined force comprising British regular infantry and two colonial units, Captain Gustavus von Tempsky’s Forest Rangers and Colonel Marmaduke Nixon’s Cavalry, attacked Rangiaowhia after dawn.

The only colonial soldier to be honoured after the war with a memorial statue was Colonel Marmaduke Nixon.

However, assault forces landing to the rear occupied the rifle pits and trenches, blocking the main line of retreat and preventing the reinforcement of the pā during the night, though many defenders escaped to the rear. Whilst the battle represented a clear victory for the British, it involved only a fraction of the Māori King’s forces. Intense fighting occurred in the forward trenches, but the British could not break through the parapets. When Cameron insisted that Waikato lay down their arms, they offered no further resistance. From the 1880s dairy farming was the main agricultural activity in Waipa and Waikato areas. All non-text content is subject to specific conditions. Waikato Māori, newly unified under their own king, resisted the idea of land sales. Discover the heritage and culture behind the significant Waikato battle sites as you delve into the history, landscape and stories that have shaped the Hamilton & Waikato … With Rewi’s people suffering heavy casualties, and with a British incursion into the pā seeming imminent, Māori decided to abandon the pā by fighting their way through the cordon of British troops.

The downloadable resources we have provided will make your exploration of the Waikato War come alive: Results for '{{searchNavItems.Name}}': {{ (flattenedTree | filter:searchNavItems).length }}. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The Waikato War. After Ōrākau, the Kīngitanga withdrew behind a defensive line along the Pūniu River.

Mindful of the need to defend villages and sources of supply, Kīngitanga forces began constructing a massive line of fortifications centred upon Pāterangi pā. The Waikato War was a key conflict in New Zealand’s history and has had a lasting impact on Aotearoa, New Zealand. Tawhia! Three more assaults on the main redoubt were also repulsed. He organised the Colonial Defence Force Cavalry and led his force on General Cameron’s invasion of the Waikato. All text licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence unless otherwise stated. Pai Mārire, South Taranaki and Whanganui, 1864–1866, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. Danny Keenan, 'New Zealand wars - Waikato war: major battles', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars/page-6 (accessed 6 October 2020), Story by Danny Keenan, published 20 Jun 2012, reviewed & revised 8 Feb 2017. On 20 November 1863 the British army assembled a land force of 850 men with three field guns supported by cannon aboard the Pioneer and Avon. An area that just a few years earlier had been a hub of colonial commerce, exporting produce to New South Wales, Victoria and even California, lay waste. Once again the war was decided by sieges of Maori pas, but the Maori also began to employ guerrilla tactics.….