HON. W. FOX ON NEW ZEALAND WARS AND THEIR ORIGIN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 130, 2 June 1879, Page 4

HON. W. FOX ON NEW ZEALAND WARS AND THEIR ORIGIN.

{ To the Editor of the liangitihei Advocate}* Sir,- — The special correspondent of the Auckland Star, who has lately been in attendance on Sir George Grey at the Waiknto meeting, writes trios : — " A few notes for the Hon. W. Fox. — The Hon. W. Fox kindly quoted extensively from the Star reports of the Hikurangi meeting last session. Probably he will be anxious to select some portions of the report of the present meeting to edify honorable members ; therefore I present him with the following : — I was in the Kingite camp with Te Wharepu, and some other influential chiefs, when the conversation turned on the origin of the Waikato war and confiscation. One chief said it was TePokiha (Fox) who caused all the troubles in this island. He made a plan to kill all the Maoris and take the land and sell it, in order to get back the money spent in killing us. We did not want to fight the Pakehas, but he so forced us with war in order to carry but his own designs." I am afraid, sir, thnt the Waikato Maoris have lately been in bad company, and had their minds poisoned by "wicked white men," or they would hardly have made this very serious charge against me. In order to refute it, will you allow me to give a strict account of the origin of all tho wars and confiscations which have occurred in New Zealand. My Waikato friends will, I think, be surprised to see how they have been misled, and how little I have had to do with either wars or confiscation. I shall also send a copy of this letter to the Waka Maori, where it will be translated into Maori, so that all the Maoris may read it and know the truth. The first war was begun in 1844, when John Heki destroyed Kororareka, in ?the Bay of Islands. That was in Governor Fitzroy's time. Fitzroy was recalled, and Captain Grey sent into 1 bis place. He continued the war with Heki. There was fighting at Kororareka, at Ohaewae, and other places. That war was badly managed by Grey and the Queen's soldiers, but with the assistance of Nene Walker, chief of the Ngaphuis, Heki was at last defeated, and shortly died. I had nothing to do with that war. I was living quietly at Nelson all the time. The next war was at the Hutt and Porirua, with Rangihaeta, Te Eingakuri, and others. Rauperaha was helping them from Otaki. Sir George Grey came to Otaki at midnight, in a man-of-war, took Rauperaha out of his bed, and carried him away prisoner to Auckland. That was the end of that war. I had nothing to do with that war. I was still living quietly at Nelson. The next war was at Wanganui. Governor Grey was the governor in that war. Thsre was' one fight at St. John's-wood, close to the town. Much powder was expended bat few lives. Thirteen thousand rounds of ball-cart-ridge were fired by the Queen's troops, one Maori was killed and no white man. That was the end of that war. With that war I had nothing to do. I was still living quietly at Nelson. There was no more fighting till Governor Browne came. Then the Waitara war began in 1860 I was living quietly at Bangitikei ; but when the Assembly met at Auckland I opposed Governor Browne on account of that fighting. I thought he was wrong in fighting for that land. So thought also Dr. Featherston, Mr Fitriierberfc, and a great many more. We were called by Governor Browne's friends, the "Peace-at-any-price Party." We made Governor Browne's wrong-doing known to the Queen, and next year he was recalled. William Thompson (Tarapi pihi) had at that time made peace, bat Governor Browne was going to begin fighting again, when he was recalled. Then Sir George Grey was sent again by the Queen to be Governor, and to try to make peace. When Governor Grey came I was Prime Minister, and for a whole year he and I tried to make peace. I' said, "Let there be no more fighting; let there be six commissioners appointed to inquire into and to decide the Waitara trouble, and all other grievances. Let one pakeha and two Maoris be appointed by the Governor, and one pakeha and two Maoris be appointed by the Maoris." This was at a great meeting with Rewi and the other chiefs at Sarigitikei, in Waikato. But Tarapipihi and the King would not agree to this peaceful solution. Was I desirous ; of killing all the Maoris when I acted thus? At the end of the year I ceased to be Prime Minister, in consequence of a vote of the House of Representatives, who refused to continue responsible Government in native affairs, which had been established between Sir George Grey and myself. I think he had got tired of it, and was desirous to hate more absolute power. Mr Domett was the Prime Minister in my place. He and his colleagues continued to advise the Governor on native affairs, but they were not responsible. He alone was so. A few months after this, by a complication of blunders on the part of _ Sir George Grey, hostilities were again renewed at Taranaki. The fighting began at Tataraimaka, by Sir George Grey sending soldiers there. Some of . ' these soldiers were attacked by ambus- : dade and killed. The Waikatos joined in.. There was one fight therebetween : them and General Cameron, and many Of the; Waikatos were killed. Then the, T T¥ r aikatoa made preparations to attack - Auckland,' and Sir George Grey SQut General Cameron with the Queen's

soldiers to fight with Waikato, to prevent them coming to Auckland, and to Dunish them, for their interference (Pokenoa) at Taranaki. With all that I had nothing to do. I was living quietly at Rangitikei. The law of confiscation was made at this time by Grey and Domett. I will say more about that by-and-by. The fighting went on in Waikato till about October, 1863, Then the Assembly met. On reaching Auckland, I was met at the wharf by Sir George Grey's private secretary, who told me the Governor wanted me immediately. He had quarrelled with Domett and his colleagues, and they resigned. He asked me to form a new Ministry, which I did. Whitaker was the Prime Minister; I was Colonial Secretary and Native Minister. The fighting in Waikato went on for some months, till Meri Men, Rangiriri, Ngaruawahia, Kangiawhia, Orakei, and Naungatautari were taken. There was fighting also with the Ngatiterangi at Tauranga. I was a Minister all that time — about one year. At the end of that time (November or December, 18G4) Sir George Grey quarrelled with us, and we resigned. The next war was that with the Ngateranuis, Ngarauru, and other tribes, between Wanganui and Taranaki. Sir George Grey was Governor, and Mr Weld Prime Minister. I had nothing to do with that war; I was in England. Then there was more fighting at Poverty Bay and the East Coast; Governor Grey was Governor, and Mr Weld and Mr Stafford (I think) were Prime Ministers. I had nothing to do with it; I was in England. Then Governor Grey was recalled, and Governor Bowen came. Mr Stafford was Prime Minister. Te Kooti, who had escaped from the Chatham, Islands, where he had been sent a prisoner, committed the Poverty Bay massacre, and fighting broke out again on. the East Coast, in the Upper Hawke's Bay country and at Taupo. Also, at the same time, Titokowaru began fighting on the West Coast at Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu, at Tauranga-ika, and all the country between Waoganui and Taranaki. I had now returned from England, and was living quietly at Rangitikei. After these wars had been going on for a year, and Titokowaru had been defeated, only TeKooti and the Uriweras still fighting at Taupo and elsewhere, I again became Prime Minister. Sir Donald McLean was Native Minister. The fighting with Te Kooti went on for about a year. We had not Queen's soldiers, but only the Constabulary, and a force of native allies, Wanganuis under Major Kemp and Topia, and Ngatiporos under Major Ropata. Te Kooti was at last defeated, and took refuge with the King, who still protects this murderer. He was at the meetings last year when Grey was there; also, I believe, this year. Since that there has been no more fighting, and I sincerely hope there never will be any more. If only Sir George Grey and Mr Sheehan will keep from teasing the King, and will j act justly about the reserves at Waimate, I believe there will be no more. I think the above will show my Maori friends bow little truth there is in the statement that I had been the cause of all the troubles in this island. There have been nine wars in New Zealand. With only two of these have I bad Bnyihing to do, and in those two cases I did not begin (he fighting; I only continued the fighting already begun by Sir 'George G«;ey, Mr Domett, 'or Mr Stafford, as a matter of self defenbeon behalf of the white man and the friendly Maoris.. Observe that I am not, saying whether these wars were right or wrong, I am only siatiog facts, which showbow little I had to do with bringing " all. these troubles " on the countr.y, and how great a falsehood it is to : Bay that I have been the canse of them. . • 2. I will dow state tho facts regarding coDfiecation. Up to the date of the- renewal of- the Taranaki , war in 1863, no lands had been cofiacated as a punishment for fighting. After that renewal of the war, and "the Waikatoa mixing themselves up in it without any reson or provocation, Mr Domett, who wag then" Prime Minister (but not reßporißible) r ßaggsßtad to Sir George Grey (who was 'Governor and responsible) that extensive tracts of land should be confiscated in Waikato and Taranaki, on which European military settlers should be placed, as a protection to the other settlemeats, and a* a punishment to the Waikato aed Taranaki tribes for tbeic rebellion egainsfi the Queen. This was on the 31st ef July, 1863; [SeeAppx. Parl. papers, 1863: A— No. B.] Sir George Grey gave irs full consent to this proposal, and he wrote to the Queen's Ministers in England approving it in these words:— " I feel certain that the chiefs in Waikato haying in so unprovoked a manner caused Europeans to be murdered, and having planned a wholesale destruction of some of the European settlements, it will now be necessary to take steps . for . the permanent security of tha country, and to inflict upon those chiefs punishment of such a nature as will deter other tribes. I can devise no other plan by which both these ends can be obtained, than by locating large boJies of settlers in tboee natural positions of this province which will give us the command of it. • . . And secondly, by taking the land on which the European population is jettled from those tribes who baveWn guilty of' tbe odtragta. A punishment of thia nature wilt deter other iribes from committing similar acts, when they find it ia not a msro

question of fightiner, which they are (o do as long bs thpy please, and then to return to their frrmer lionrei fs i f nothing hrd taken place ; but that such misconduct is followed by the for* feiture of large tracts of territory, which they value highly, whilst their own countrymen will genfrally nlnoit that this punishment is a fair and juat oop, which the Wnifea'o chiefs linve well deserved.— (Signed) G. Grey.' This was the beginning of the law of confiscation. My Maori friends will see that it wee made by Mr Domett, and Sir George Grey. 1 had nothing to do with it. I was living I quietly at my farm at Rangitikei. when that "little Parliament of two" made that law, I do cot say it wos not a eood law, and that it was not right end juftlhat the fighting tribes should be punished by tbe loss of their lands. I am only denying the fnct that I was the ranker of that law, and that I got up the war in Waiksto to enable me to take advantage of the law wh'cb I bad made. As the war was none of my making, eo the confiscation was not prepared by mp. Both were the work of Sir George Grey and his Ministers, and not of roe.: One more word about the confiscaticn of Waikato. When Waikato was cotquered, I said to Sir George Grey, •' Now put your law of confiscation in force," and I showed him a map of tbe lands I recommended to be confiscated. But he had changed his mind ; he went round like a weathercock, and would not do it. On this I and my colleegues resigned, and Mr. Weld became Prime Minister. The first thing I he did was to aek Sir George Grey to ! confiscate the Waikato land. He asked for more to be confiscated than I had done, and Sir George Grey, going round again like the weathercock, instaolly did as he was told, and confiscated all that Mr Weld asked for. Afterwards, when the fighting wa3 on (he West Couet and the East Coast, more land was confiscated, but I bad nothing to do with these confiscations. They were all made by Sir George and his Ministers, either Mr Weld or Mr Stafford, I was in England all that time It is a fact, therefore, that not only diJ I not invent the law of confiscation, but no single acre in New Z^alanJ has been confiscated by me or under my advice, unless it be a small portion at Tauranga, about which I am not certain. On the contrary, when I returned to office in 1869, we givo back to the natives large tracts on both East and West Coasts, where they are now liviog in peace. It was with my consent that lani was given back. I hava only one word more for my friends in Wuikato who have been told that I have been the " root of all these troubles." No war and no confiscation has ever been made or could be made in New Zealand, unless tho Governor was willing it should bs so. When the Queen's soldiers were here, General Cameron would not listen to the word of the Colonial Ministers. Tbe only person whose orders he would obey was Governor Grey, or Governor Browne, before Grey came. No figbtiDg has ever gone on in New Zialand without the Governor being desirous, or at least willing to fight. His Minis* ters cannot force him. It is the same with confiscation. The Governor alone

can confiscate, and no Mioistry oan force him to do it. And except in that case where Sir George Grey refused to confiscate the lend I asked fcr (and did it immediately afterwards for Mr Weld) there hag never been any difficulty am le about it by Sir George Grey, when he was Governor. He carried out the law made by himself and Mr Dotnetf, "the only plan which he said ho could devise for the security of the colony, and the punishment of the rebels." What a pity that he could not now let well alone! The patient and prudent administration of the last years of Sir Donald McLean's life, followed up in the same spirit by Major Atkinson's Government, were bearing excellent fruit, and steadily promoting our friendly relations with that comparatively smalt section of the Maoris in whose minds stil rankle some recollections of past events. The uncalled for, not to say impertinent, intrusion on the remnant of the King party, which has been going on since the day when Sir George Grey took office, and which has culminated in so humiliating a mnnner for him at the late creeling in Weikato, together with the unfortunate indiscretion exhibited by Mr Sheehan in his interview with Te Whiti, and his rashly offering for sale Waimate lands without making reserves for the resident natives, have gone far to undo most, if not all, of the good which has resulted from many years of patient and discreet action of previous Governments. The action of these gentlemen during their term of offica has, in my humble opinion, shown an absolute ignorance of every principle which paet experience should have taught them ought to guide our dealings with the native race. At one moment " bouncing " an important chief, and rashly surveying land which was affected by a serious dispute, and the next thing crawling in on all fours, uniovitel guests at the great gathering of the King party, and when defeated in their attempt to make political capital out of it leaving it in anger, and with a display of disappointment which must have been gratifying to those on whom they had inflicted their unwished-far presence. Let us hope the rebuffs they have received on these occasions may make them a little less confident in their fitness for the task they have undertaken, and in which they appear to me to have miserably failed. — I am, &c, William Fox, M.H.R.