Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WAIKATO
History
By the time Europeans started to arrive, this region - stretching as far north as Auckland's
Manukau Harbour - had long been the homeland of the Waikato tribes, descended from the
Tainui migration. In settling this land, the Waikato tribes displaced or absorbed tribes from
earlier migrations.
Initially European contact was on Maori terms and to the advantage of the local people.
Their fertile land, which was already cultivated with kumara and other crops, was well
suited to the introduction of new fruits and vegetables. By the 1840s the Waikato economy
was booming, with bulk quantities of produce exported to the settlers in Auckland and bey-
ond.
Relations between the two cultures soured during the 1850s, largely due to the colonists'
pressure to purchase Maori land. In response, a confederation of tribes united to elect a
king to safeguard their interests, forming what became known as the Kingitanga (King
Movement).
In July 1863 Governor Grey sent a huge force to invade the Waikato and exert colonial
control. After almost a year of fighting, known as the Waikato War, the Kingites retreated
south to what became branded the King Country.
The war resulted in the confiscation of 3600 sq km of land, much of which was given to
colonial soldiers to farm and defend. In 1995 the Waikato tribes received a full Crown apo-
logy for the wrongful invasion and confiscation of their lands, as well as a $170 million
package, including the return of land that the Crown still held.
