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1843 Wairau incident
Local Māori had denied selling his land in the valley to a New Zealand Company. A musket accidentally went off, killing Te Rangihaeata’s wife. up to five more Māori were killed; 22 Europeans were killed that including 13 who had surrendered. -
1844–5 Heke cuts down the flagpole
Hone Heke attacked the Union Jack flagpole at what is now called Russell four times between July 1844 and March 1845. He saw the flag as a symbol that Māori had lost their country to the British. -
1845–6 War in the north
in the north in 1845 British troops and their Māori allies fought against othe Māori led by Hōne Heke and Kawiti. on 11 January 1846, a British victory of sorts at Ruapekapeka. Governor George Grey claimed victory. -
1846 Surplus land taken
In 1846, the British government instructed that all Māori landownership was to be registered; land deemed to be unused or surplus was to become Crown land. Governor George Grey reinstated the exclusive Crown right to purchase Māori land provided for in the Treaty of Waitangi. Crown agents developed some dubious practices to persuade Māori to sell, and they could offer whatever the government was prepared to pay, rather than a market rate. The government was the arbiter a -
1854 New Zealand’s first Parliament
The British of New Zealand set up New Zealand’s parliament, based on what they had at home. The first elections were held in 1853, and Parliament sat for the first time in 1854. Men’s right to vote was based on them owning their own property. Maori owned land as a group and so had no right to vote. -
1862 Native Land Act
The Native Land Act 1862 set up a Native Land Court to be the judge of any competing claims to land. It created a court of Māori chiefs with a Pākehā in charge. The act also allowed Māori to deal directly with settlers over land, but this messed with the Treaty, and the act had to be approved in London. It was barely sorted before it was replaced in 1865. -
1863 New Zealand Settlements Act
The New Zealand Settlements Act, passed during the New Zealand Wars, allowed the taking of land from Māori. Its intention and effect was to punish so-called rebel Māori by allowing the taking of their land. Later, the law was amended to allow awards of land, including of small areas to surrendered ‘rebels’. -
1864 Land confiscations
The first confiscating of land under the New Zealand Settlements Act was made in December 1864. Over the next three years, five districts were proclaimed to be under the act: Taranaki, Waikato, Tauranga, Eastern Bay of Plenty and Mōhaka–Waikare. The total area affected was about 1.5 million acres (607,500 ha). A Compensation Court (mostly comprising judges of the Native Land Court) was set up to hear claims by loyal Māori for monetary compensation or the recovery of thei
