Pōmare I (Ngāpuhi)

Pōmare I (?–1826), also called Whetoi, was a Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) in New Zealand. He was a leader of the Ngāti Manu hapū (subtribe) of the Ngāpuhi.[1] Whetoi adopted the name of Pōmare, which was the name of the first king of Tahiti and founder of the Pōmare dynasty.[1] After his death he was called Pomarenui (Pōmare the Great) by the Ngati Manu in order to distinguish him from his nephew Whiria.[1]

The Ngāti Manu originally lived at Tautoro, south of Kaikohe, however disputes with the Ngāti Toki (Ngāti Wai) in Pōmare’s lifetime forced them to move and settle at Kororāreka, Matauwhi, Otuihu, Waikare and Te Karetu on the southern shore of the Bay of Islands. Pōmare I established a pā at Matauwhi, near to Kororareka, in what is now called Pomare Bay.[1]

Following the death of Pōmare I in 1826, his nephew Whiria adopted his uncle’s names, Whetoi and Pōmare, so that Whiria is referred to as Pōmare II, so as to distinguish him from his uncle.[2]

Relations with the Church Missionary Society (CMS)

The Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived in the Bay of Islands in 1814. Pōmare supplied food and timber to the missionaries.[1]

He traded timber for tools and he also traded timber for muskets to provided security against the northern hapū within the Ngāpuhi, which was led by Hongi Hika, Tareha, Ruatara, and Rewa (Manu) a chief of the Ngāti Tawake hapū of Kerikeri.[1] At this time there was fighting between the hapū of the Ngāpuhi as well as intertribal fighting (known as the Musket Wars). The Rev. Henry Williams was appointed the leader of the CMS mission in 1823. He stopped the CMS trading muskets with the Ngāpuhi.[3] However other Europeans continued to trade muskets with the Ngāpuhi and other Māori tribes.

The missionaries regarded Pōmare as one of the important leaders in the Bay of Islands, together with Hongi Hika, Te Whareumu and Rakau. In July 1815 Pōmare went to visit Port Jackson (Sydney) in the missionary vessel Active.[1]

Pōmare I as a war leader

Pōmare I led a number of war parties against other Māori tribes:

Legacy

The death of Tiki, the son of Pōmare I, and the subsequent death of Te Whareumu in 1828 threw the Hokianga into a state of uncertainty as the Ngāpuhi chiefs debated whether revenge was necessary following the death of a chief. The Rev. Henry Williams, Richard Davis and the chief Tohitapu mediated between the combatants.[6][7] As the chiefs did not want to escalate the fighting, a peaceful resolution was achieved.[8]

Pōmare I was succeeded as leader of the Ngāti Manu hapū by his nephew, Whiria, who took his uncle’s names, Whetoi and Pōmare.[2]

Footnotes
  1. Ballara, Angela (30 October 2012). "Pomare I". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. Ballara, Angela (30 October 2012). "Pomare II". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  3. Mitcalfe, Barry (1963). "Angry peacemaker: Henry Williams – A missionary's courage wins Maori converts". Nine New Zealanders. Whitcombe and Tombs. pp. 32–36.
  4. Carleton, Hugh (1874). "Vol. I". The Life of Henry Williams. Early New Zealand Books (ENZB), University of Auckland Library. pp. 145–146.
  5. "Auckland: Soldiers of fortune". The New Zealand Herald. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  6. Rogers, Lawrence M. (1973). Te Wiremu: A Biography of Henry Williams. Pegasus Press. pp. 73–74.
  7. Fitzgerald, Caroline (2004). "Journal of Marianne Williams, (17 March 1828)". Marianne Williams: Letters from the Bay of Islands. Penguin Books, New Zealand. p. 101. ISBN 0-14-301929-5.
  8. Fitzgerald, Caroline (2011). "Journals of Henry Williams, Marianne Williams & William Williams, (16–28 March 1828)". Te Wiremu: Henry Williams – Early Years in the North. Huia Publishers, New Zealand. pp. 101–107. ISBN 978-1-86969-439-5.
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