Key Facts
- Duration
- 31 December 1868 – 5 January 1869
- Te Kooti's force
- ~300 fighters plus families and prisoners
- Initial attack
- 4 December 1868, repulsed by Te Kooti
- Siege method
- Encirclement cutting off water supply
- Escape route
- Down a cliff face deemed inaccessible by attackers
Strategic Narrative Overview
Te Kooti and roughly 300 followers, along with families and prisoners, fortified the hilltop pā at Ngatapa. A first assault by Ngāti Porou warriors under Ropata Wahawaha on 4 December 1868 was repelled. By late December, Colonel George Whitmore's Armed Constabulary and Ropata's forces surrounded the pā, cutting off its water supply. After nearly a week under siege, Te Kooti and his men slipped away down a cliff the attackers considered impassable.
01 / The Origins
Te Kooti's War arose after the New Zealand government exiled Te Kooti and hundreds of Māori to the Chatham Islands in 1866 without trial. Te Kooti, founder of the Ringatū religion, escaped with his followers in July 1868, landing on the East Coast. A November 1868 raid on Poverty Bay killed several settlers and triggered pursuit by colonial forces and kūpapa Māori allies, setting the stage for the siege at Ngatapa.
03 / The Outcome
Te Kooti escaped, but many of his followers who remained were captured by Ngāti Porou warriors and Armed Constabulary members and subsequently executed, with Whitmore's tacit approval. This mass killing has since been condemned as an unlawful abuse of human rights. Te Kooti remained at large, continuing guerrilla resistance until a pardon was issued years later.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Te Kooti.
Side B
2 belligerents
Colonel George Whitmore, Ropata Wahawaha.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.