1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that flips through the 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: book of history and tears out a single page every day. 5 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: Today is June. The day was June eighteen forty three. 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: A clash between British immigrants and Maori, known as the 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: Waira Incident, took place on the South Island in New Zealand. 8 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: It was the first major armed conflict between Maori and 9 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: British immigrants after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. 10 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: The New Zealand Company was a British joint stock company 11 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: responsible for the colonization of New Zealand in the eighteen hundreds. 12 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: Its founder and director, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, believed that a 13 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: successful colony needed to attract a balance of capitalists and laborers. 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: The company claimed to have purchased land in the Cook 15 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: Straight Readon and established settlements at Wellington and Nelson while 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: the Europeans were purchasing land in New Zealand. Representatives of 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: the British Crown and Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of 18 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: Waitangi in May of eighteen forty, Lieutenant Governor William Hobson 19 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: declared British sovereignty over New Zealand. Since the Treaty of 20 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: Waitangi was signed, there has been debate over its terms, interpretations, 21 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: and differences between the Maory text and the English text. 22 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: The treaty was meant to recognize Maory ownership of their 23 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: lands and give Maori people the rights of British subjects. 24 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: That said, many Maori were later dispossessed of their lands anyway. 25 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,759 Speaker 1: The New Zealand Company promoted the country as a Britain 26 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: of the South and it began to organize large scale 27 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: migration to New Zealand. But the fertile land required for 28 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: all the Europeans migrating to New Zealand did not actually exist. 29 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: The company was failing because arable land was limited, land 30 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: titles were uncertain, there were too many absentee landowners, and 31 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: there was no real way to generate income through exports. 32 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: By eighteen forty three, the immigrants were struggling with food 33 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: supply and the company was basically bankrupt. Throughout the early 34 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: eighteen forties, more European immigrants arrived in Nelson, despite conflict 35 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: between Maori chiefs over claims to the land being sold, 36 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: But when it became clear that there was not enough 37 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: arable land around Nelson for the immigrants, the company began 38 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: moving forward with plans to survey the Waira planes. Maori 39 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: chiefs Natitoa, Te ral Paraha and others were adamant that 40 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 1: the company had not purchased this land. Despite this opposition, 41 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: the company ordered survey parties to begin work in the 42 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: Waira valley. So some of the chiefs went to the 43 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: Waira and evicted the surveyors. They burned some of the 44 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: shelters that had been made from local materials and destroyed 45 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: some of the surveyors equipment. Police Magistrate Augustus tom Sin 46 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: issued a warrant for the arrest of the involved chiefs 47 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: on charges of arson. A group of about fifties special 48 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: constables were sent to Waira to execute the warrant. They 49 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: were armed but inexperienced. On June seventy three, the company 50 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: party arrived on the eastern side of the Tua Marina stream. 51 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: Maori gathered on the other side of the stream. It's 52 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: unclear exactly what triggered the fighting, though some Maori accounts 53 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 1: say that a chief's wife may have died first from 54 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: a stray shot. Regardless of fight ensued, and twenty two 55 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: Europeans and somewhere between four and nine Maori died. Many 56 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: European immigrants feared that this was the beginning of a 57 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: larger Maori insurrection. When the new Governor, Robert Fitzroy arrived 58 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: in New Zealand that December, he was tasked with dealing 59 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: with the aftermath of the incident. He determined that the 60 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: Maori chiefs had been provoked by the New Zealand Company, 61 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: which continued the survey despite lacking evidence for legitimate claims 62 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: to the land. The Colonial Office supported this conclusion. It 63 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: was pragmatic, as war would have been expensive and would 64 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: have worse in the condition of European immigrants, but fitz 65 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: Roy was soon replaced by another governor. I'm Eve Jeff 66 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: Cote and hopefully you know a little more about history 67 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. And if you have any 68 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: commerce ource suggestions you can send them to as via 69 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: email where at this day at iHeart media dot com. 70 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: You can also hit us up on social media where 71 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,599 Speaker 1: at t D I HC podcast. Thanks so much for 72 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: listening to the show, and we'll see you tomorrow. For 73 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 74 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.