Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia
Encyclopedia
Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia (c.1796 – 27 April 1866) was a Māori chief in New Zealand
during first contact with European traders, the 1820s Musket Wars
up to the 1860s New Zealand land wars
. Born in or around 1796 into the Waikato
Tribe of Ngāti Mahanga, he has been described as a "friend of Pākehā
and a Chief of great influence" in the region of Raglan, New Zealand. He witnessed the coming of Christianity
to Māoridom (specifically the Wesleyan missionaries to Raglan, James and Mary Wallis
) in the mid-1830s, the sale of native land to the first European settlers, and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
in the 1840s. Te Awaitaia also witnessed the Māori King Movement
in the 1850s, and the New Zealand land wars
in the 1860s. He died on 27 April 1866.
The name "Wiremu Neera" is the Maori phonetic rendering of the English name "William Naylor", which Te Awaitaia (his original name) took for himself to mark his conversion to Christianity in 1836. The monument that stands in Raglan, erected in his honor (on the western side of the harbour by the camping ground), spells his name as "Wiremu Nero Te Awaitaia" – other renderings of Naylor are Near, and Naera.
of Kawhia, which was led by the famous Chief of notorious and violent reputation, Te Rauparaha
. Te Rauparaha was driven south away from his lands by the Waikato Confederacy and subsequently took control of much of the lower North Island of New Zealan and also carried out various other infamous invasions.
Te Awaitaia took a decisive part in the battle that drove Te Rauparaha south from Kawhia, heroically defeating one of the opposition leaders with an axe (teahatehwa), and obtaining much mana
from the battle. He then led a party of 370 warriors that subsequently harried Rauparaha on his flight southwards. Te Awaitaia was also involved in the Battle of Motunui, which was a famous defeat of the Waikato Tribes. He was famous for his skillful use of his taiaha (see image) and was a Chief of great influence in the Waikato by the time of the arrival of the first (Methodist) missionaries in the mid-1830s.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
during first contact with European traders, the 1820s Musket Wars
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more battles mainly fought between various hapū , sometimes alliances of pan-hapū groups and less often larger iwi of Māori between 1807 and 1842, in New Zealand.Northern tribes such as the rivals Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua were the first to obtain...
up to the 1860s New Zealand land wars
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
. Born in or around 1796 into the Waikato
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
Tribe of Ngāti Mahanga, he has been described as a "friend of Pākehā
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
and a Chief of great influence" in the region of Raglan, New Zealand. He witnessed the coming of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to Māoridom (specifically the Wesleyan missionaries to Raglan, James and Mary Wallis
James and Mary Wallis
James and Mary Wallis were Wesleyan missionaries and the first European Settlers in Raglan, New Zealand.- Early years and journey to New Zealand :...
) in the mid-1830s, the sale of native land to the first European settlers, and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand....
in the 1840s. Te Awaitaia also witnessed the Māori King Movement
Maori King Movement
The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the central North Island ,in the 1850s, to establish a role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British, as a way of halting the alienation of Māori land...
in the 1850s, and the New Zealand land wars
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
in the 1860s. He died on 27 April 1866.
The name "Wiremu Neera" is the Maori phonetic rendering of the English name "William Naylor", which Te Awaitaia (his original name) took for himself to mark his conversion to Christianity in 1836. The monument that stands in Raglan, erected in his honor (on the western side of the harbour by the camping ground), spells his name as "Wiremu Nero Te Awaitaia" – other renderings of Naylor are Near, and Naera.
Early years and intertribal conflict
Ngāti Mahanga, the tribe into which Te Awaitaia was born, was influential in the Waipa Valley and Waitetuna areas near Raglan. At some point early in Te Awaitaia's lifetime, his tribe is thought to have driven the Ngati Koata from their lands near Whai-ngaroa (Raglan) Harbour. After this, the N Mahanga tribe became a member of the Waikato confederacy, which had been formed in response to the increasing influence and aggression of Ngāti ToaNgati Toa
Ngāti Toa , an iwi , traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. The Ngāti Toa region extends from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson....
of Kawhia, which was led by the famous Chief of notorious and violent reputation, Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
. Te Rauparaha was driven south away from his lands by the Waikato Confederacy and subsequently took control of much of the lower North Island of New Zealan and also carried out various other infamous invasions.
Te Awaitaia took a decisive part in the battle that drove Te Rauparaha south from Kawhia, heroically defeating one of the opposition leaders with an axe (teahatehwa), and obtaining much mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
from the battle. He then led a party of 370 warriors that subsequently harried Rauparaha on his flight southwards. Te Awaitaia was also involved in the Battle of Motunui, which was a famous defeat of the Waikato Tribes. He was famous for his skillful use of his taiaha (see image) and was a Chief of great influence in the Waikato by the time of the arrival of the first (Methodist) missionaries in the mid-1830s.