Te Awa I Taia Wiremu Nera 1860 1866 Waikato Nz

edmondsallan - Hello - At a meeting at Ngaruawahia in May 1860 Te Awa-i-taia's government allegiance aroused much enmity. An attempt was made to insult him; he was urged not to speak, and to return home. Others urged him to stay, and promised to give him a fair hearing. He repeated the sentiments he had expressed at Paetai, and warned Tarapipipi (now known as Wiremu Tamihana) and Ngati Haua not to get involved in designs that would disturb the peace of the country. In August he attended the Kohimarama conference of Maori leaders, called by the government. Te Awa-i-taia had been selling land to the Crown for several years. In March 1851 he had sold 30 square miles of land at Whaingaroa, on which Raglan township now stands. In 1859 he offered to sell land from Waitetuna to the Waipa River, on the Waikato side of the ranges. In 1862 he and his people began building a road on their own land, from Raglan through to Whatawhata on the Waipa River, to give the government greater access to central Waikato. Waikato tribes, not surprisingly, objected strongly. Months of meetings were held with other tribes who had claims to the land on which the road was being built. When a date was finally fixed to begin cutting down trees on the eastern side of the ranges, an armed party set off from Kihikihi to stop Te Awa-i-taia's men. At Whatawhata the party was stopped by a letter from Tamihana, which stated that he would consider a shot fired against his father's ally a declaration of war on Ngati Haua. However, Te Paea, Te Wherowhero's close kin, personally pulled out the survey pegs for the road, and Te Awa-i-taia found that he could get no guarantee of armed support from the government. He settled for a compromise, and his people began construction of the road on Crown land at Whaingaroa.
Although Te Awa-i-taia told Governor George Grey in 1863 that he objected to government policy on Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitake's stand over land sales at Waitara, he supported the government's entrance into the war in Taranaki. He acted as a government intermediary during the war which followed the invasion of Waikato by British troops in 1863. He was appointed an assessor under the Native Circuit Courts Act 1858, and after the British occupation of Ngaruawahia in December 1863 he went to Maungatautari, Pikopiko and Paterangi to try to convince Waikato and Ngati Maniapoto to give up fighting. He believed that Waikato wanted to end the fighting, but were afraid to give up their arms lest Tamihana and Tawhiao, who had succeeded Te Wherowhero as King, be executed.
Te Awa-i-taia armed some of his men to assist government troops to defend the Raglan settlement during the war, although Raglan was never directly threatened. He provided guides and auxiliaries for Lieutenant General Duncan Cameron, and offered to send men to defend Auckland. He was awarded the rank of major, and was presented with a sword of honour, although he did no fighting. He died at Raglan on 27 April 1866. He was survived by two of his wives, Rangihikitanga and Hinu. Te Awa-i-taia had at least six children, three of whom survived him. He was succeeded as leader of Ngati Mahanga by his nephew, Hetaraka Nero. Te Awa was well known by hisown people and many government officials . However in general he has been forgotten by many as one who contrbuted a great deal in the making of our homeland , New Zealand