What happened in the Waikato land wars?
The invasion of Waikato in 1863–64 by British and colonial forces aimed to destroy the aspirations of the Māori King movement to autonomy and self-determination. It targeted the stronghold of the movement in the middle Waikato basin – one of the most populated and productive Māori districts in the country.
What happened at Rangiaowhia?
Outflanking Pāterangi, the colonial and British forces attacked Rangiaowhia – occupied by Waikato Māori supplying food to the fighters in front – on the morning of 21 February 1864. It was a complete surprise. The attack was led by Colonel Marmaduke Nixon’s Colonial Defence Force Cavalry.
How many Māori died in the land wars?
Over the course of the Taranaki and Waikato campaigns, the lives of about 1,800 Māori and 800 Europeans were lost, and total Māori losses over the course of all the wars may have exceeded 2,100….New Zealand Wars.
| New Zealand Wars Ngā pakanga o Aotearoa | |
|---|---|
| 745 killed (including civilians) | 2,154 killed (including civilians) |
What started the Waikato land wars?
Causes of the Waikato War The causes of the war go back beyond the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. According to the British interpretation, the Maori signatories acknowl- edged the sovereignty of Queen Victoria, while the Crown had sole right to pur- chase their lands, if they chose to sell.
Why did George GREY invade the Waikato?
Fighting broke out again in Taranaki in 1863, partly because of his delay in returning Waitara to its owners. After defeating the Taranaki ‘rebels’, Grey resolved to invade Waikato, the seat of the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement). It was also the main site of resistance to land sales and settler encroachment.
How many died in the Waikato War?
The death toll was most balanced in the 1840s and in Titokowaru’s War….Casualties.
| Anti-government Māori | British/Colonists/Kūpapa | |
|---|---|---|
| Waikato/Bay of Plenty (1863–4) | 619 | 162 |
| Pai Mārire, etc. (1864–8) | 772 | 128 |
| Tītokowaru’s War (1868–9) | 59 | 83 |
How many Māori were killed in the Waikato War?
Long-term impact. Figures are uncertain, but about 560 British and colonial troops, 250 kūpapa and 2,000 Māori fighting against the Crown may have died in the wars. Māori who had fought the Crown lost large areas of land – a total of about 1 million hectares initally, before some land was returned.
How did the invasion of the Waikato end?
Māori defeat at Ōrākau — ‘Rewi’s last stand’ — in April 1864 brought the Waikato War to an end. The British made no attempt to cross a new aukati on the border of what is now known as the King Country.
Did NZ fight in ww2?
New Zealand was involved for all but three of the 2179 days of the war — a commitment on a par only with Britain and Australia.
How many Māori died in Waikato wars?
Cowan put the total war’s dead at an estimated 2990 people, comprising 736 British and Colonial troops, as against 2254 Māori. And a further 1589, writes Cowan, were seriously wounded. Most of these – 1014 – were Maori, for the most part suffering grievous bayonet wounds.
Who won the Waikato War?
British victory
The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars….Invasion of the Waikato.
| Date | 12 July 1863 – April 1864 |
|---|---|
| Location | Waikato, New Zealand |
| Result | British victory |
How many people died in the Battle of Rangiaowhia?
Official British records state 12 Māori were killed, including two chiefs, and over 30 taken prisoner. Their own losses totaled five, including several officers. Some unofficial estimates suggest there were more than 100 Māori deaths.