NZ Wars - Stories of Wairau

On 17 June 1843, 22 European settlers and four Māori died in armed conflict at Tuamarina in Marlborough. Colonial history labelled it a "bloody massacre"' and laid the blame on Ngāti Toa, namely chief Te Rauparaha and his nephew Te Rangihaeata. This episode of documentary series NZ Wars debunks that story, examining fraudulent land claims made by the New Zealand Company and the pressure on Governors FitzRoy then Grey to appease uneasy settlers. Creator and presenter Mihingarangi Forbes dramatic reenactments and interviews historian Vincent O'Malley and Ngāti Toa rangatira.   

The Wairau really, was the beginning of the end for Ngāti Toa. The capture of Te Rauparaha, the exile of Te Rangihaeata, it left Ngāti Toa devoid of our traditional leadership at t time when we needed it most.

– Ngāti Toa Rangatira Miria Pomare on the legacy of the conflict at Wairau, late in this documentary

Key Cast & Crew

Viv Wigby-Ngātai

Drama Writer

Arthur Rasmussen

Cinematographer

Mahanga Pihama

Co-Director, Producer, Drama Writer

Cameron Bennett

Co-Director, Writer, Research

Peter Lee

Editor

Mihingarangi Forbes

Creator, Research, Presenter, Writer