File:Te Hapuku of Ngāti Te Whatu-i-apiti, Hawkes Bay (16533749559).jpg

On 24 June 1840, Thomas Bunbury and Edward Williams left the HMS Herald and went ashore at Hawkes Bay, landing near Tukituki River. They were there to gain the signature of paramount Ngāti Te Whatu-i-apiti rangatira, Te Hapuku, who had signed the 1835 Declaration of Independence (www.flickr.com/photos/archivesnz/10430000633).

Te Hapuku, sometimes called Te Ika-nui-o-te-moana, was born in the late eighteenth century. His kinship links within Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, Ngāti Ira and other major tribal groups in Hawkes Bay made him influential throughout the region. Te Hapuku's father was Kurimate, also known as Te Rangi-ko-ia-anake II, whose main hapū were Ngāti Te Manawa-kawa and Ngāti Te Rangi-ko-ia-anake, named after his grandfather, Te Rangi-ko-ia-anake I. His mother was Tatari of Ngāi Tapuhara, and Ngāti Hinepare, of Ngāti Kahungunu. A full biography can be found online at www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t28/te-hapuku

‘After walking about a mile along the beach, and crossing the sandy isthmus’ writes Bunbury, ‘we arrived at an estuary, the road leading round it being only passable at low water. After walking and wading another half hour we arrived at the pā, but the chief had gone into the country.’ After waiting a while they decided to return to the Herald, but a messenger found Te Hapuku, who caught up with them on their way back to the ship. With him was Hara, a Ngāpuhi rangatira from the Bay of Islands who had already signed te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Te Hapuku was reluctant to sign. He argued that Ngāpuhi were now slaves because of the Treaty, and drew a diagram with the Queen over the rangatira, who in turn, were over their iwi and hapū. Bunbury ‘told him it was literally as he described it, but not for an evil purpose as they supposed, but to enable her to enforce the execution of justice and good government equally amongst her subjects.’ Te Hapuku was still not convinced, so Bunbury used flattery, promises, threats, and the advice of Hara to convince him. Eventually Te Hapuku went aboard the Herald, where he signed the Herald Sheet with two other rangatira, Waikato and Mahikai.

Bunbury was now satisfied with the 27 signatures he had gathered, and sailed north to the Bay of Islands. He arrived there on 2 July 1840.

This photograph is of a painting of Te Hapuku, as depicted by the artist Gottfried Lindauer. It comes from a collection of his work in the Patent and Copyright records. More on Lindauer’s work can be found at www.lindaueronline.co.nz

Archives Reference: PC4 Box 21/ 1902/25

This record is part of #Waitangi175, celebrating 175 years since the signing of of te Tiriti o Waitangi. You can see other real time tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/ArchivesNZ), or explore the Waitangi 175 album here on Flickr.

Material supplied by Archives New Zealand