THE KING COUNTRY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 1, 26 October 1906, Page 3

THE KING COUNTRY.

Origin of the Name.'

[by "one who knows."]

It has occurred to me that it would not be amiss, and would probably interest your readers, if in this, your first issue I gave a few incidents,Yelating to the history and development for settlement of the " King Country," as known .to Europeans at the present day.. Jhe name has been evolved through the writings of various travellers and journalists, and is in no way a translation or interpretation of any Maori name. It is interesting to ribte its origin, which, I believe, to be the following; the end of the: fifties the Maoris throughout New. Zealand, especially those of the middle and southern parts of the North Island, determined to and did set tip a " king." of their own, to watch ?over their interests as a people —more especially in regard to their. lands, of which in those days they held immense areas, including the greater part of what we know now as the Waikato, Thames Valley, Kawhia and the whole of the King Country. In iB6O, a dispute took place over the purchase by the Government of a small block of land on the south side of the Waitara.river, at its mouth, in the province of Taranaki. This dispute led to the use of arms, and practically a declaration of war against those who actively opposed the sale. The war spread to Waikato, involving that large tribe including the King, also the Ngatimaniapoto and Ngatihaua and other smaller tribes in the trouble. Our troops eventually drove the Maori forces from Waikato and Waipa across the Punui river, which runs on the south side of the present towns of Kihikihi and Te Awamutu and joins the Waipa river near Pirongia: Beyond this line the Maoris were not pursued, and the King took up his residence there, Hying with his followers at various places, including Te Kuiti proper, which is not identical with the present township, but is further up the Mangaokewa stream, where it debouches from the narrow limestone pass. It was at this place that Te Kooti, who had been hunted from the East Coast by our forces, finally (to use his own expression), " sheathed his sword " and gaye his allegiance as a man of peace to Tawhiao, the then King. Te Kooti lived at ,Te Kuiti and at Otewa, on the Waipa river, with his followers until he left for Ohiwa, on the East Coast. He had no land claims in the King Country, and lived there on sufferance.

Practically the King himself had no |ancestral land claims there, the %h.ole country belonging to the NgatiMahiapoto tribe, of which he was not ilfmember. Thus it will be seen that The name " King Country," originated through the fortuitous residence of the Maori King in. that part of the country. The opening of the King Country began to take a tangible form in 1882, under the direction of the Hon. John Bryce," then Native > Minister, who in the proceedings for the suppression of Te Whiti's baneful influence at Parihaka, no doubt,'saw that with such a large area inhabited by unreliable Maoris, the good work he had already accomplished would not be likely to bear the fruit it deserved. After some negotiations, including the pardoning of' Wetere Te Rerenga (chief, of theNgatimaniapoto tribe),Te Kooti,' and others, for any crimes they had committed during the past rebellion* it was agreed that the trigonometrical survey of the country should proceed, and also the survey of ,a railway line from Te Awamutu, passing southwards through-, the King Country, should be put in hand. Accordingly a railway survey party was sent to explore for the best route. After one futile attempt, the party, with the consent of the leading chiefs, and conducted by Wetere te Rerenga with some twenty other Maoris, left Alexandra (now Pirongia) towards the end of March, 1883. On their arrival at Te Uira, they were assaulted by the Maoris living af Te Kumi, who were strong adherents.of Te Whiti's, .believing implicitly in his doctrines. The party was overpowered, and the only two Europeans and one of the Maoris were taken prisoners and taken to a cooking whare at-Te Kumi, where the two Europeans : were tied hand and foot, in which plight they remained for some 38 to 40 hours, including two nights without food and with very scant clothing. "They/were rescued by the Ngatimaniapoto people and afterwards entertained and protected by Te Kooti, who was then living at'Te Kuiti The principal men Of Te Kumi, who had assaulted -and captured the surveyors, a few days ■ after that event, rode into Alexandra, with the'object of overcoming the Europeans there, by means ; of miraculous passes and incantations, _ quite without resort to , arms or 'other forces. As they had proclaimed their intention, %nd given the date, preparations were made by the Government for: their reception, and the whole party, about 20 in nuuiT ber, were captured and... subsequently tried at the Supreme Court, Auckland, when Ithey twere found guilty of assault, and sentenced to various terms at imprisonment. - v; :' 1

Now, although the incident, just briefly narrated, may aV first sight appear to have a very remote, if any, .bearing on the question of the development for settlement of the King Country, it was, as a matter of fact, a very important factor in the solution of the problem. . - • • Before the assault on the survey party the Maoris were not at all confident of their own position, and desired, in regard to the opening of the country, that is, the carrying out of the trigonometrical survey, and the investigation by the Native Land £burt of claims to .ownership of the j land amongst themselves, as compared with the enticing prophecies of Te ' Whiti and his cbadjutants, who prom- j ised continued possession of the land, and an independent Maori Government, with the banishment of the European. y ~''• Theutter failureof the expedition to Alexandra, effect x>f settling their doubts, and short time they accepted als ; the surveys were carried on, and v the first sod of the railway, which would i run through their country, waft turned

on 15th April, 1885." The place selected for the ceremony was just within the King Country! and the function was very largely attended by the Maoris of that part; who had become most enthusiastic in their desire for the construction of the railway. The Native Land Court began proceedings at Otorohanga soon afterwards, and was for many years almost continuously engaged in ascertaining arid awarding titles to various subdivisions' of the land. * , ; ' On the ascertainment of titles, the purchase of the land by the Government followed. ' The purchases were made from individuals of their sljares or interests in each block, and when the area of such land Decamp sufficient, jt was surveyed in-' tasuifable ahd pffered for selection and occupation. The construction, of roads and tracks, to give access to the lands, was also put in hand, and feas been continued, as funds became available, up to the.present ..> v . Thevconstructiorf of the railway, though not. carried on', with reckless speed, has ribwpracticaily reached the southern boundary of the King Country. With the exception of the Awakino block near the. coast, the,' Kawhia township, two of three sections in the Wharepuhunga block, the Te Rau-a-moa and Paimako improved farm settlements, afid a few private, direct transactions with the* Maori owners; all the present settlement in the King Country has taken place during the last seven years.

Taking into consideration the nature of the country, which is by no means an easy one from a settlement point of view, and the large number of settlers already'occupying their holdings, in most cases under great difficulties and considerable hardships, the outlook for the district is most hopeful, v I must heartily congratulate the settlers.oii their pluck- iiv facing their difficulties and hardships, and confidently their efforts will result in the success they sq thoroughly deserve.