Conflict- Land Wars Start Over Pekapeka Block

This week's story is about a place where the New Zealand Wars began over 140 years ago. The same place has been in the news in recent weeks as The New Plymouth District Council discussed past decisions and made new ones.  For Te Atiawa people, it's a story that has been a part of their news for 143 years.

REWIND

True or false?  In the 1850s...
1. The Treaty of Waitangi had not yet been signed.
2. The British military built forts in New Zealand. (They were like those built in the USA for defence against the Indians.)
3. Many new settlers could travel from Britain to New Zealand for free.
4. New Zealand's British population was increasing while the Maori population was decreasing.
5. The settlers had their own government and all Maori had a vote.

Starters

How much do you know about the New Zealand Wars? You decide.
(a) Nothing at all (b) A little bit (c) Some things (d) Quite a lot
Pair up with a classmate, compare your answer and then try this one together. It's tricky but quite interesting.

Do you think the New Zealand Wars were mostly about:
(a) the need for new British settlers to have more land?
 or   (b) the need for the British Crown to display its power?
 or   (c) a bit of both?

This week's story is about a block of land on the south side of the Waitara River. This photo shows the south side today. It's a big block and covers the land in the photo and a lot you can't see. It's about 243 hectares.
Now study this map of the area from 1862:

The Pekapeka Block from W.I. Grayling's "The War in Taranaki", 1862.

Work out where today's bridge would be and the river mouth. Does this map show the land where the main street is today?

Together decide whether these actions would have been positive or negative for the people underlined.

1. A chief brings his people back to live on their traditional lands in Waitara.
2. The local people, Te Atiawa, grow fruit and vegetables and they sell them to the British settlers in a new town named New Plymouth.
3. Te Atiawa transport and sell goods up and down the Taranaki coast.
4. Maori communities are living all around New Plymouth and not letting the settlers out.
5. Some Waitara people are thinking of selling bits of land against the wishes of their chief.

Now read the story up to "Battles begin" Look closely for the reason why any new settler would have been happy to have a piece of this land.

Who's who?

Match each person with their right description and aim.
People:

Te Teira

Wiremu Kingi te Rangitāke

Thomas Gore Browne

Donald McLean

Descriptions:

Paramount Chief of Te Atiawa

Governor of the day

The Crown's chief land buyer

From the hapu, Ngati Rahiri

Aim:

To buy land wherever he was able.

To sell some land and annoy the chief.

To protect Te Atiawa land and make sure it is never sold.

To help new settlers onto some very good land.

Headline fiction

Imagine if headlines like these appeared in a New Plymouth newspaper of the day. Who might the reporter have been talking to? Match a headline to one of the four people above.

Action!
We now know that on 17 March 1860 troops were brought in "to fire on Te Rangitāke's people." But what happened before that? Get in pairs and each draw one of two action sketches.

1. The New Plymouth Company surveyors at work.
2. The children and old women of Te Atiawa at work.

Draw them in pen. Sketches like this sometimes appeared in early newspapers.

In the hot seat

With Governor Browne ready to force people off the land and with Te Rangitāke ready to defend his land, it looks like war.
Your group is in the hot seat. Read the following "what ifs?" that could have been used to prevent war. List some possible consequences or effects if history had gone down this path.

1. What if...Governor Browne agrees the sale is unlawful and says any land needed for the settlers will have to be bought elsewhere.
Consequences? Who's affected? What might have happened?
2. What if...Te Rangitake agrees to sell the land on the condition it is the only Te Atiawa land that will ever be sold.
Consequences? Who's affected? What might have happened?

Make up your own "what if" and swap it with another group. Work out consequences for each others.

In their place
Put yourself in the place of these people before any war begins. Choose from the descriptive words in the list or better still, make up your own.

What would these people...	...think of these people?
New settlers	Te Rangitāke
British soldiers	Governor Browne
Te Rangitake	agents like Donald McLean
Governor Browne	Te Teira
Te Atiawa	Governor Browne
Donald McLean	Governor Browne
New settlers	Maori surrounding New Plymouth

Descriptive words you could choose from:   Bold, daring, right, wrong, peaceful, warlike angry, cunning, tricky, crafty, unfriendly, heroic, greedy, strong, annoying, scary, tough, pests, cooperative, useful, frightening.

Summing up
Look here for key facts, photos and quotes from the story so far. It's worth a click!

The battles begin
Read the short piece in the story called "Battles begin" then learn about these battles with this great interactive. Look for three key things as you follow the paths of the British and Te Atiawa:
1. What made the L Pa so successful?
2. Why did one British attack option go horribly wrong?
3. How did the British military's opinion of their enemy, change?

This interactive shows that Hapurona, a Te Atiawa fighting chief built some amazing defensive trenches. You could build a clay model of part of one. Add other materials to show why his trenches were so successful.

Read more!

Finish the rest of the story now searching for these key points as you read.

• How much Taranaki land was eventually confiscated?
• Was the Pekapeka block part of this confiscated land?
• How did the New Plymouth District Council end up with some of the land you read about in this week's story?

Roundtable

Get a grip on those points in a group of three. You need a different coloured pen and a piece of paper each. Group members each write down one of the questions and what they think is a right answer. Pass the papers around the group so each question ends up with three answers. Gather them in and discuss any question where the answers are completely different. When you all agree on the answers to all three questions, you're ready for "fast forward."

Fast Forward...to 2003

A house owner whose house is on freehold land owns their house and land.
A house owner whose house is on leasehold land owns their house but not their land. They lease or rent the land from the owners and are called leaseholders.

• In Waitara there are around 800 leases. The leaseholders have been paying rent to the New Plymouth District Council – the owners.
• Some of the leaseholders had hoped to one day buy their land off the council. They wanted to "freehold" their land.
• In August this year the New Plymouth District Council decided to return the  leasehold land to Te Atiawa. They will then be the land owners.
• This means the leaseholders will have new landlords but the conditions of their lease should remain the same. This will be written into law.
• The Council will make a final decision on 4 November.

One plus, one minus and an interesting thing
The council has had more than 460 submissions from the community on this issue. Submissions are people's opinions. They are a chance for people to have their say. The council also presents reports and holds public hearings. You can be sure people from these groups have been heard:
Leaseholders, the council, Te Atiawa, the Waitara community. Think "points of view". Pick two of these groups and work out one good (a plus) one minus (a not so good) and one interesting thing to come from the decision to return the land.