Lights, camera action - the battle of Waireka

The battle of Waireka had it all - keen volunteers, shaky settlers, trapped soldiers, crafty spies, gallant heroes and grateful ladies. There were those that lived and those that died and it was hard to tell the goodies from the baddies.

And when the fight ended both sides thought they had won. How strange. This week's story takes you to the battlefield.

Rewind 

Let's return to the New Zealand Wars. The years are 1845 to 1872. Did these things really happen during these years? You decide and then answer true or false for each event.

1. The wars are between Maori and Pakeha. Maori fight on one side and Pakeha on the other. It is simple as that.
2. British soldiers are fighting the Maori. The settlers don't join in.
3. The New Zealand Wars are made up of small battles involving a handful of troops.
4. Maori are well skilled in the use of the musket by the time the New Zealand Wars begin.
5. The traditional fighting pa is no longer a great place to defend territory from.

Word watch

All the words and phrases below are in this week's story. Choose the best meaning and then check your answer when you read the story.

1. militia (a) a military force of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers or (b) an amateur band of soldiers without any training or uniforms and with weapons like pitch forks.
2. angst (a) anger (b) uneasiness
3. disputed area (a) the area being argued about or (b) the very best area that people wanted to own
4. ravaged (a) devastated or (b) invaded
5. anxiety (a) excitement (b) a state of uneasiness and worry
6. stranded settlers (a) weakest settlers or (b) settlers left in a difficult or hopeless position
7. The house was fortified (a) the house was filled up with soldiers or (b) the house was strengthened and made secure
8. conscious of the need (a) aware that it has to happen or (b) trying very hard
9. more akin (a) in the family or (b) having a similar quality
10. tumultuous cry (a) a noisy and disorderly cry or (b) a very happy cry

Consequences in days gone by

A consequence is something that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition.
For example:

The action: Between 1830 and 1881 the number of Pakeha settling in New Zealand increased from just over 300 settlers to 500,000 settlers.

The consequence: Many settlers wanted and expected their own land and when they found the land was not for sale there were disputes and arguments.

Pair up with a classmate and consider each of the actions below. Come up with a consequence and share your ideas with another pair.

1. Two sides sign a treaty but the words on the treaty mean different things to each side. Consequence?
2. New Zealand Company agents make careless land deals. Some offer the settlers land when it hasn't been bought. Consequence?
3. The British Empire has large numbers of professional soldiers that they can call on. Consequence?
4. Maori are using muskets in the war. British soldiers have the Enfield rifles that are far superior in range, power and accuracy. Consequence?
5. The Maori fighting force are also the labour force in their community. They are the gardeners, the fishermen and the hunters. The British soldiers are full time soldiers. Consequence?

I say, I say, I say

Read the first two parts of this week's story  - Hollywood comes to Waireka, and Rewind.

Consider the key points in the background to the battle and decide what each of the characters would have to say.

Te Atiawa had left their land after a Waikato invasion and now the settlers wanted their land.
The settlers most probably said…

Te Atiawa return to their tribal lands and find settlers wanting it for farms.
Te Atiawa people probably said…

Governor Gore Browne makes sure the sale of the Waitara block goes through, even though the chief Wiremu Kingi says it isn't for sale.
The settlers probably said this about Governor Browne…

Governor Browne declares Martial law, (temporary rule by the military forces) and asks for local men to join a force of volunteer soldiers.
Most young settlers probably said something like…

Te Atiawa calls in support from South Taranaki.
These tribes probably said…

Te Atiawa built a pa just inside the land the Governor said they no longer owned.

When the Pakeha saw this they probably said something like…

From 18 March 1860 farms, both Maori and Pakeha were ransacked and burned.
Maori farmers probably said something like…
Pakeha farmers probably said something like…

Consider the anger

Both Maori and Pakeha lost farms. What would each group lose when their houses and farms were torched?

Make two lists that show major things each group probably lost. Think about their different background. Pakeha settlers for example would have lost things brought to New Zealand from overseas.

Listing the items may help show the anger that both groups of farmers must have felt.

Get ready for action

Pa were built in special places. Kaipopo was on the lower brow of Waireka Hill immediately above what is now the old Omata cemetery.

Read this part of the story and find out what the people at the Kaipopo pa would have looked out onto. Decide how each feature improved the chances of this pa being successfully defended.

Friend or foe?

Most of the settlers in 1860 were from Britain and the troops stationed in the stockades were British too. For Maori the land dispute was with the British so read Cue the victims to find out what happened to the settlers from other countries.

• What if you were one of the French or Portuguese settlers?
• Would you have been as keen as the British to get your hands on some land?
• Would you have supported the British military?
• Would you have joined the volunteers known as the Taranaki Rifle Volunteers and Militia?

Think, pair and share your ideas with a classmate.

Horrific headlines!

The Taranaki Daily News began in 1857 so these events would have been covered by their reporters. This newspaper was based in New Plymouth so the headlines in the Taranaki Daily News may have screamed the danger the rest of the town was feeling.

Read New Plymouth in panic and then write two headlines to match the scene.

Headline 1: To go with a story about farmers being attacked.

Headline 2: To go with a story about the town that could very soon be attacked.

Off to the rescue!

The next two parts of the story tell us what happened when the Taranaki Rifle Volunteers went to battle for the very first time.

Read Rescue and then Drama and action and then print out this map.

Use different colours to mark in these actions on your map:

1. The Rifle Volunteers' march from New Plymouth, their advance inland past the Jury farm and their retreat.
2. The march of Murray and the Regulars -British soldiers, the rocket firing postion and the likely track of the troops Murray sent to investigate.

Our hero!

So far then we have the settler volunteers stuck in an Omata farmhouse and a band of British Army regulars heading back to town. It's time for the hero to arrive on the scene-Captain Cracroft and his band of 60 sailors.

Read Cracroft to the rescue and take note of the different stories surrounding the storming of the Kaipopo Pa.

No-one knows for sure what happened that day at the Kaipopo Pa but the book New Zealand at War by James Belich shows us all sorts of stories were going around.

One side said:
"Waireka was the most obstinate and successful battle yet fought by the British"
Cracroft's assault on the pa "certainly saved the militia and volunteers from being destroyed to a man."

"Captain Cracroft and his men ran up to the pa and did leapfrog over each others' backs until they went right over the wall and surprised the Maori"

"150 Maori were killed in the fight"

The other side said:
"There were no men in the pa. Cracroft and his men attacked an empty pa."

"It wasn't even a fighting pa. A few old Maori were cooking potatoes there and fired a few shots"

You be the judge

Consider the evidence and decide which of the stories are more likely to be true.

Evidence 1: Captain Atkinson, a member of the Taranaki Rifles (the volunteers) said he only saw "two dead Maori and no live ones," during the whole day.

Evidence 2:  Captain Cracroft only had four of his men slightly injured but he said this was because he surprised the Maori in the pa. Cracroft's men had fired several rockets into the pa before he attacked so any Maori inside couldn't have been that surprised.

Evidence 3: Messenger, a sailor who was part of Cracroft's storming party later said that he went inside the pa "but couldn't see anyone to stick or shoot."

Evidence 4: The Reverend Gilbert watched the battle from his house but had no idea the pa was taken. Maori walking past gave him progress reports on the battle but they didn't say anything about the pa.

So… what do you think really happened in the battle of Waireka? Think, pair and share your ideas with a classmate.

We won, we won…I think 

Read  A "happy" ending and find out why the ending wasn't happy for some fighters on both sides.

Why are the facts from this war story a little difficult to work out? Choose a reason from the list below and then think, pair and share your ideas with a classmate.

1. It was one of the first battles of the New Zealand Wars so both sides wanted to claim a great victory.
2. With 180 New Plymouth ladies waiting to welcome him Captain Cracroft might have thought it was easier to claim a great victory.
3. The British wanted to prove they were better soldiers than the Taranaki Rifle Volunteers.
4. All of the above.

A better fighting man?

Finish the story now and find out why this battle played such an important part in Taranaki's and New Zealand's history.

Historian James Belich says the British military and the British people began the wars believing that the British fighting men were superior to Maori warriors. They thought that with a confident leader the British would win every time.

In the end Maori were simply outnumbered but after the wars historians kept saying Maori showed "military weaknesses" and that they didn't have any "strategic planning or co-ordination." We now know that Maori won battles by careful planning and crafty military tactics.

Look here to find out about one of the next battles in the New Zealand Wars. Travel through time with a Maori chief to see how he put his battle plans into action and won.

Fast forward to 2005

A Victoria Cross was won at the battle of Waireka. This week's Ask an expert tells you about the Victoria Cross but can people still win medals for bravery in New Zealand?

They can indeed and one of the awards is the New Zealand Cross. It is awarded for acts of great bravery in situations of extreme danger. Look here to find out more about the award and the people who have won it. One saved a person from a white pointer shark attack and another rescued passengers after the aeroplane he was in crashed.

The New Zealand Gallantry Star is awarded "for acts of outstanding gallantry in situations of danger". Find out about this award here and the man who displayed exceptional courage in East Timor while rescuing a fellow soldier.

The New Zealand Bravery Star is awarded "for acts of outstanding bravery in situations of danger". Look here to find out more and read about the deeds of the recipients.

The New Zealand Bravery Decoration is "for acts of exceptional bravery in situations of danger" and you can read about this one here

The New Zealand Bravery Medal is awarded "for acts of bravery" Look here for more information. Among others you can read about Sergeant Tetava who saved a soldier from an exploding grenade.

Rewind answers
1. False.  It wasn't that simple. Maori sometimes fought on the Pakeha side for all sorts of reasons. The battle may for example have been against a traditional enemy. Some Maori were even paid to fight for the British.

2. False. The early battles were like that but a lot of settlers volunteered to fight. The battle in this week's story was the first one that volunteers fought in and that was early in the wars.

3. False. In proportion to New Zealand's population at the time they were large in scale. 18,000 British troops were ready for action in the biggest campaign.

4. True. Many had been fighting in the musket wars-tribe against tribe. They would even fire by volley just as the British did. Some of their battlefield tactics were very similar to British military tactics.

5. True. Traditional pa were often built on hills or right on the coast. British ships could sail close and blast them to matchsticks with cannon fire. The inland pa were easy targets. They often had gardens on the lower slopes so the British found it easy to haul large cannons up close to the pa. When a pa was destroyed Maori also lost many of their resources so it was more difficult to fight back.

Word watch answers
1a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5b, 6b, 7b, 8a, 9b, 10a