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THE CITY OF AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND A HISTORY
THE CITY OF AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND A HISTORY
Captain William Hobson, R.N. (1792-1842) First Lieut-Governor and Governor of New Zealand Founder of the City of Auckland From a copy of a painting by Collins of Bristol in the Old Colonists’ Museum The City of Auckland New Zealand, 1840-1920 by JOHN BARR Chief Librarian preceded by A Maori History of the Auckland Isthmus by George Graham and a Foreword by J. H. Gunson, C.M.G., C.B.E. Mayor of Auckland Prepared by direction of the Auckland City Council MCMXXII WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED A
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THE CITY OF AUCKLAND Foreword
THE CITY OF AUCKLAND Foreword
This History of the City of Auckland is issued by the City Council in the confident expectation that the wonderful progress recorded in the following pages will not only afford pleasure and information to a wide circle of readers, both in New Zealand and abroad, but that the work will prove to be an inspiration to good citizenship for the further advancement of Auckland. J. H. GUNSON, Mayor....
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Preface
Preface
This book is the first attempt which has been made to write a connected history of the City of Auckland. Although in years the city is comparatively young, many of the events which have marked its progress have already been forgotten. With the exception, perhaps, of the principal incidents associated with the foundation of the city, and a most interesting account of the state of Auckland in the early ’fifties, written by Mr. W. Swainson, no period of Auckland’s history has been adequately dealt
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Correction
Correction
P. 231, line 5, for “Peace Treaty” read “Armistice”. P. 227, lines 1 and 2, for “Mr. James Carroll” read “Hon. Sir James Carroll, K.C.M.G.”...
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I Introduction
I Introduction
In compiling this history, I desire to narrate in as brief and clear a manner as possible the doings of the ancient Tamaki tribes, as recounted in the folk-lore of their descendants. I have, as far as possible, confined the history to the tribes of the Auckland Isthmus itself—referring to the history and peoples of other parts only so far as is necessary to the clearness of the general narrative. There may be some doubt as to the chronological sequence and to many of the details of incidents her
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II Toi-te-huatahi[1]
II Toi-te-huatahi[1]
Some time about 1150 A.D. there arrived in New Zealand a chief named Toi-te-huatahi, the leader of a large immigration, who settled at Whaka tane, and his people, known as Te Tini-o-Toi, rapidly spread throughout the land, conquering or merging with their predecessors. Tamaki was soon populated by them. Oho-mai-Rangi, said to be a son of Toi, lived at the Waikato Heads, and to him is generally attributed the tribal name “Nga-Oho”—a people of Toi who occupied a wide area in the south, Waikato and
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III The Arrival of the Fleet—1350 A.D.
III The Arrival of the Fleet—1350 A.D.
About 1350 A.D. came another wave of immigrants from Polynesia—for then arrived the historic fleet of canoes, the Arawa, Tainui, Matatua, and others. It may be remarked here that this was the last of the great Polynesian immigrations. From very remote times expeditions had been arriving in New Zealand, and many return voyages were likewise made to the Pacific groups. Why these voyages eventually ceased, at a time when among the Polynesians the arts of navigation had been brought to perfection, r
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IV The Tainui Canoe
IV The Tainui Canoe
Of these canoes, the one which most directly affected local history was the Tainui canoe. This canoe, like most of the others, arrived on the East Coast. Coasting northwards (some say as far as the North Cape) she arrived at last in the Hauraki Gulf, and entered the Waitemata. Resting for some time at Te Kurae-o-Tura (Devonport Beach), the canoe continued its journey to Tamaki (Otaiki). At Taurere (Tamaki Heads) a chief named Te Kete-ana-taua remained with the local people, and became the ancest
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V The Arawa Canoe
V The Arawa Canoe
The Arawa people at an early date also contributed its quota to the population of Tamaki. Arriving on the East Coast (at the same time and place as the Tainui) this canoe likewise made a coastal exploration. Eventually its people settled down at Maketu (Bay of Plenty), Tamatekapua, their leader, having remained at Moehau (Cape Colville), where he died. From there his children spread throughout the Coromandel peninsula and the islands of the Gulf, and were known as Ngati-huarere (Huarere being Ta
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VI The Matatua Canoe
VI The Matatua Canoe
This immigrant canoe was also an important factor in populating the Tamaki Isthmus. Its people had settled at Whakatane, and were remarkable for their restlessness. Parties of this tribe, known under the general name of Ngati-Awa, were always on the move. They are reputed to have formed an important element of the One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie, lofty hill) people. The Owairaka (Mount Albert) pa belonged to this people. The Ngati-Awa chief Titahi, who lived in Tamaki and Kaipara for some time, is s
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VII The Aotea Canoe
VII The Aotea Canoe
This important canoe, commanded by the famous Turi, also visited the Tamaki, the crew eventually settling at Patea, in the South, but Turi’s son, Turanga-i-mua, became dissatisfied with that place, and about 1400 A.D. he came to Tamaki with a war-party, moving on to Hauraki and other places, finally returning to Tamaki. Tu’ soon came into conflict with the local people, whom he defeated in the battle at Waitaramoa (the creek at the head of Hobson Bay), and then occupied the pa at Onepuwhakatakat
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VIII Ancient Maori Society—A Retrospect
VIII Ancient Maori Society—A Retrospect
Before going any further, a brief outline of the daily life of the Maori community should be of interest. The tribes of Tamaki lived in village communities, each hapu, or community, consisting of a group of families, more or less closely inter-related, and governed according to various customary usages by their hereditary chiefs. These communities collectively acknowledged the superior prestige of an Ariki, or hereditary high chief. The religious side of life was the province of their “tohungas,
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IX The Wars of Tamaki
IX The Wars of Tamaki
It is hard to ascertain the actual causes and the chronological sequence of the wars which followed the arrival of the fleet, and only an outline is attempted here. This chief, Maki, came from Ngati-Awa of Taranaki. Coming northward with his people he seemed to have gradually worked his way via Kawhia and Waikato to Tamaki, capturing the Rarotonga (Mount Smart) pa, where for a time he dwelt. Here he was visited by the chiefs of Kaipara, descendants of Titahi. They requested his assistance in war
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X Kiwi Tamaki (1720-1750)
X Kiwi Tamaki (1720-1750)
We now come to the era of Kiwi Tamaki, the last, and undoubtedly the most notorious, of the olden Tamaki chiefs. He was so called to distinguish him from other men of that name. His parents, Te Ikamaupoho and Te Tahuri, united in their ancestry all that was aristocratic in lineal descent from the ancient Patu-paiarehe, Nga-Oho (People of Toi), Ngati-Awa, Arawa, Tainui, etc. Despite the many repeated invasions and incessant warfare within their territories, the Tamaki people at this time were app
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XI The Ngati-Whatua Era in Tamaki
XI The Ngati-Whatua Era in Tamaki
Ngati-Whatua were now installed in possession of Tamaki. They soon found that might was the only right to their new territory. To the south were the powerful Waikato and Marutuahu tribes, who by sea and land were a continual anxiety to the new lords of Tamaki. They were closely related to the late victims of Ngati-Whatua. Many of the refugees, indeed, had gone to those districts to live, and no doubt instigated many a surprise attack. Ngati-Paoa appear to have always maintained several fortified
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XII The Nineteenth Century (1800-1840)
XII The Nineteenth Century (1800-1840)
Of this, the final epoch in the Maori history of Tamaki, I will give but a brief sketch. Of the years from 1800 to 1810 we know little. In the latter year a second great epidemic swept over these districts. This no doubt brought about a further depopulation of the Isthmus. About 1810, Ngati-Paoa again began to reside on the Tamaki shores, and erected fortresses at Mauinaina and Mokoia (Panmure). In 1820, Marsden passed through the district on his way northward. Going by Ngati-Paoa canoe to River
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THE CITY OF AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND 1840-1920
THE CITY OF AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND 1840-1920
by JOHN BARR [Pg 34] [Pg 35] The City of Auckland was founded on the 18th September, 1840, by Captain William Hobson, R.N., Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand. Captain Hobson, on his arrival in New Zealand, made his headquarters at the Bay of Islands, at that time the most populous place in the colony, as far as white people were concerned, for here both missionaries and traders had settled in greatest numbers, and here, also, Mr. Busby, British Resident, was located. The Bay of Islands did not
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Wages
Wages
After the Government had established itself at Auckland, one of the first duties which it undertook was to provide settlers with land. On April 19-20, 1841, the first sale of town lots by auction was held, and the figures realised were stupendous, due to jobbing, which land sharks from Sydney and other parts of Australia had fostered. According to the official “Gazette,” only 116 allotments were sold, the total area comprising 38 acres 1 rood 28 perches, realising £21,299 9s. In addition, twelve
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Chapter II Development: 1851-1870
Chapter II Development: 1851-1870
The advent of the second decade of Auckland’s history finds the town passing from the cradle stage to one of more independence. Until the year 1851 Auckland had been variously described as “the town,” “the seat of government,” or “the capital.” In other words, it had been fostered by the Government. Now, by a Proclamation of the Governor, Sir George Grey, it was elevated to the position of a borough, with a corporation—the first to be created in New Zealand—to which was given the powers of self-
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Chapter III Progress and a Slump: 1871-1900
Chapter III Progress and a Slump: 1871-1900
The three decades from the ’seventies to the ’nineties are characterised by distinct features. At the opening period the city, which was just recovering from the effects of the Maori War, was making steady progress. This advance culminated in a boom in the ’eighties, which brought forth the usual sequel in the following decade—a financial crisis, from which it recovered before the opening of the new century. The official census reflects these features. The population of the city in 1871 was 12,9
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Chapter IV Prosperity and Expansion: 1901-1920
Chapter IV Prosperity and Expansion: 1901-1920
The last twenty years of Auckland’s history have continued the prosperity which commenced in the late ’nineties, with the recovery from the slump. The rise in the population illustrates this clearly. The increase was slow, but steady, in the first decade; in the next it reached almost a record rate. At the 1901 census the population of the city was 34,213, a small increase of 2789 over the figures of 1896. Ten years later the numbers had risen to 40,536, and in 1916 to 64,951. At the recent enum
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Postscript
Postscript
The task which the writer undertook has now been accomplished. Its imperfections are such as inevitably accompany a first attempt to write a local history. Other hands, he hopes, will repair what omissions he has made. In spite of its shortcomings, he feels some little satisfaction in having had the opportunity of contributing a stone to the building of Auckland’s history. Looking back over the brief period which comprehends the city’s career, no citizen of Auckland but should be proud of the pr
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Appendix I The Name of Auckland
Appendix I The Name of Auckland
The City of Auckland is generally stated to have been named after Lord Auckland by Governor Hobson, but, as a rule, no authority for the statement appears in any of the books relating to the subject. As already shown from Hobson’s despatch, dated 10th November, 1840, the Governor chose the name himself. So far, so good. What was his reason for doing so? I exhausted every possible source of information at my command, and failed to obtain any satisfaction. Learning from Mr. Horace Fildes, of Welli
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Appendix II Population of the City of Auckland
Appendix II Population of the City of Auckland
The population of the City and suburbs in 1921 was 158,000. [1] Known also as Toi-Kai-rakau. [2] One-taunga (Mooring’s beach) [3] Subsequently the first Maori king. [4] The marriage of Kati with Matere Toha, brought about in accordance with ancient Maori custom, was designed to perpetuate the peace made between the Northern and the local tribes. The high rank of both Kati and Matere Toha, and their personal influence and worth, made the union a great success from the diplomatic standpoint. The m
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