In the 1850s, a movement was set up to appoint a Māori king who would unite the tribes, protect land from further sales and make laws for Māori to follow. Te Wherowhero became the first Māori king in 1858.
Potatau Te Wherowhero
Personal details
Full Name:
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero
Lifetime:
? – 25 Jun 1860
Biography
Events In History
25 June 1860
The Māori King movement came into existence in the late 1850s as an attempt to unite the tribes, prevent land sales and make laws for Māori. Pōtatau Te Wherowhero became the first Māori King in 1858, but died two years later.
Articles
Māori King movement origins
In May 2008 Māori gathered at Ngāruawāhia to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Kīngitanga, or Māori King Movement. The current king, Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki, was crowned in August 2006 following the death of his mother, Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Read the full article
Page 4 - In search of a king
The Kīngitanga has often been described as a Waikato initiative, yet its origins can be traced to Ōtaki on the Kāpiti
Page 5 - Pōtatau Te Wherowhero
In April 1857, at Rangiriri, Pōtatau agreed to become king. He was crowned and anointed at Ngāruawāhia in June
Page 6 - A challenge to European authority?
Pōtatau established a boundary between the territory in which his authority held sway and that of the governor: 'Let Maungatautari [River] be our boundary. Do not encroach on this
War in Taranaki 1860-63
In March 1860 war broke out between Europeans and Māori in Taranaki following a dispute over the sale of land at Waitara. It was the beginning of a series of conflicts that would dog Taranaki for 21 years, claiming the lives of hundreds of people and leaving deep scars that persist to the present day. Read the full article
Page 2 - Pressure on Māori land
As the Pākehā population of New Zealand increased during the 1850s, Māori faced growing pressure to sell their
Main image: The search for a king - Māori King movement map
Map tracing the journey taken to select the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero.
