MAORI MEMORIES.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 June 1938, Page 3

MAORI MEMORIES.

THE CHATHAMS. (Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age”) The Chatham Islands form a striking page in Maori history, and in that of the New Zealand Company. These four islands, the largest of them 36 miles long, were discovered in 1791 by Lieut. Broughton, R.N., who landed to take possession in the name of George the Third. A quarrel ensued in which an Islander was killed and two sailors wounded. The- people then numbered 500. In 1838 when Rauparaha threatened to exterminate his enemy tribes near Wellington a number of them seized the brig Rodney in the harbour and fled in terror to the Chathams.

Having fire arms, their fear soon turned to conquest, and the innocent Islanders were enslaved. Some of the Maoris returned to Wellington and told Colonel Wakefield of their new island home. The London directors of the New Zealand Land Company at once were directed by the insatiable land purchased to send their agent in the ship Cuba to buy the islands from the Maoris. In July 1840 this was done. This doubtful purchase was then offered to the Dutch Colonisation Society. Before this sale was completed, the British Foreign Office intervened. The Crown Law office declared the purchase by the N.Z. Company was illegal, and they were threatened with the loss of their Charter, so the Chathams were declared a dependency of New Zealand. The islands, two days sail from here, also became famous or infamous because of Kooti’s shockingly unjust imprisonment there, his clever escape with 100 former tribal enemies, and his savage reprisal and murders. The only reason why Te Kooti was not finally hanged, was to conceal the disgraceful action of a certain officer and its reflection upon the army and the colony.