MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 July 1940, Page 9

MAORI MEMORIES

SPORT BEFORE JUSTICE,

(Recorded by J.H.S., of Palmerston North,

for the “Times-Age.”)

In 1851 the Governor decided to substitute English law for Maori custom, and thus caused a grave crisis in the peace of the colony. A Maori was arrested for theft in Auckland, and during the scuffle an innocent chief was knocked over and taken to gaol, but released in an hour. The insulted warrior appealed to his tribe, who demanded that the offending policeman should be handed over to Maori juctice. The troops from Onehunga and the police paraded in arms, and the 300 armed Maoris' were ordered to leave the town. With obvious shame they dragged their canoes to low tide. All Auckland crowded the hills to view the 35 great war canoes on Waitemata harbour. Two days later several chiefs laid at Governor Grey’s feet patu, mere, taiaha and matia as emblems of peace.

On Christmas "Day, 1854. a drunken man named Huntley killed a Maori in the street. The coroner ordered a post mortem, to which the Maoris strongly object, as it adds insult to injury to the sacred dead. They declared that tika (justice) could only be given when the murderer's body lay beside the man he had killed. The Waikato Maoris assembled in force and threatened to burn the town as a just recompense (utu). In the midst of this excitement, a horseman galloped in with the news that Patuone’s horse had won the Maiden Plate of £l5O at the Auckland races. The Maoris then decided, in view of this huge tribal fortune of those days, to let the English law of revenge take its course.

Huntley was sentenced to imprisonment for life. The Maoris were outwardly appeased, but inwardly dissatisfied.