1863: Six Months with John Hamilton
July 7, 2025
By AHNZ
John Hamilton, father of a young family and officer of the Royal Navy, was sent to command HMS Esk in defence of the Colony of New Zealand. Esk arrived here on 3 November 1863. The first major task was The Thames Expedition.
HMS Esk and HMS Miranda led the way in establishing a defensive corridor between the Firth of Thames across to Queen’s Redoubt (Pokeno.) By December 1863 the Expedition had been a success. The defenses, including the Esk Redoubt and Miranda Redoubt (still a village today) drew a line against the Maori King’s invasion of Auckland.
Captain Hamilton’s final task was helping stop the supply lines to the Maori King’s rebellion. At Tauranga the rebels created a great ‘Come and Get Me’ fort called Gate Pa which Hamilton led a party of soldiers and sailors directly into the teeth of. He was shot dead in battle on 29 April 1864 and now rests in Tauranga’s Mission Cemetery.
Because of his great sacrifice, and contribution to bringing New Zealand back from the brink, an appreciative country gave Hamilton’s name to the newly founded town. Hamilton is now one of our largest cities.
“…Tauranga Town Hall when “The Oval Table,” a play depicting events in Tauranga at the time of the battle of Gate Pa, was staged for the first time as part of the commemoration of the centenary of the battle. The play was written by Mr C. Kingsley-Smith, of Whakatane, who gave the copyright to the Elms Historic Family Home Preservation Trust,..” – Press (1964,) Papers Past
“…the second division of blue-jackets and the gallant 43rd, led by Captain Hamilton of the Esk, advanced with a ringing cheer to the support of the forlorn hope. They arrived at a critical moment; the storming party exposed to a murderous fire on all sides, and from hidden assailants beneath, and without an officer to lead them, were wavering; part were outside the pa. Captain Hamilton sprang upon the parapet, and shouting ‘ follow me, men !’ dashed into the fight. That moment was his last. He fell dead, pierced through the brain by a bullet, and many of his officers shared the same fate.” – Our Special Correspondent (James Cowan?,) Taranaki Herald (1864,) Papers Past
“Following the Battle of Gate Pā | Pukehinahina the Esk left Tauranga for Auckland with Gen. Cameron on 16 May 1864, then returned to Tauranga on 12 June 1864 where she would take on board the wounded from the Battle of Te Ranga before transporting them to Auckland. On 14 February 1865 Esk returned to Tauranga where she collected prisoners Hōri Tūpaea (c.1805-1881) and Pai Mārire High Priest Tui Tawihaua [?] along with seven other Maori prisoners. Escorting them to Auckland, Tūpaea was taken ashore on 18 February 1865 and other prisoners were transferred to HMS Eclipse.” – Debbie McCauley, Author (2022)
“The Thames expedition, consisting of 44 officers and 922 men and commanded by Lt Colonel Robert Carey -18th Regt and Deputy Adj General, departed on November 16th on the HMS Miranda, HMS Esk, the steamship Corio and the Colonial gunboat Sandfly; 3 weeks of supplies were carried on the cargo vessels Jessie, Doady, Harrier, Sydney and Diamond. The makeup of the original force was mixed; there being 186 from 12th Regiment, 390 from 70th, 218 Waikato Militia, 103 Naval volunteers (aka the Auckland Coastguard), 54 cavalry of the Colonial Defence Force, 6 Royal Engineers and a few from 18th Regiment, hospital corps etc…Assembling a force of 1000 men, using HMS Navy, Colonial gunboats and chartered vessels within 12 days was a huge effort and probably resulted in the largest naval activity in New Zealand waters.” – The Thames Expedition – 1863, Mangatangi Historical Group
“This month, June 2020, Hamilton City Council famously tore out the statue of the man their city was named after, Captain John Hamilton. They did this because they understood that the temporary flare up of Black Lives Matter protesters had the agenda of vandalising the statue themselves. The city wanted to get in first. Hamilton’s politicians quickly followed this act up by paying mainstream historian Vincent O’Malley $10,000 to character assassinate independently report on 4 targeted figures in New Zealand history. Waikato-Tainui Maori also chipped in for this report.” – 2020: Historical Report on Hamilton Street and City Names, AHNZ
Hamilton only had 6 months in New Zealand but he did more for this country in that short time than many others in their entire lifetime.
His expert contribution to what must still be the largest maritime operation in New Zealand history and the longest defensive line was pivotal. When Gate Pa lost its leadership he stepped into it bravely despite facing certain death.
This is why Hamilton was regarded in such high esteem by New Zealanders who lived through these times and saw fit to name the new Waikato capital in his honour. He was not a founding statesman like George Grey or a founding businessman like Logan Campbell. Hamilton was the sort of founding father that made the others possible: The soldier who secured the peace.
Not until the historical era AHNZ calls Downton Dignity Culture (2008-2015) did Hamilton City erect a statue to their founding namesake; March 2013. Behind this was Hamilton businessman and philanthropist Bill Gallagher who would have been appreciative and informed about the debt his city owed the captain of the Esk. These were highly civilised times, Dignity Culture times, characterised by Ted Talks, thinking man’s television TVNZ7, and high society drama Dowton Abbey. Intellectual books such as Malcolm Gladwell’s made the scene along with Freakonomics (2005) were common currency with Hans Herman Hoppe’s storming the Anarchist thought world. It was a time when Kiwis think fondly of their ancestors and put up statues.
Yet, directly on the tail of Dignity Culture always comes a Victimhood Culture to denigrate, cancel, and uproot all that was formerly sacred. The George Floyd/Me Too/Black Lives Matter/De-Colonisation/LGBTQ+/Woke wave came to Hamilton. Nga Tamatoa urban terrorist Taitimu Maipi vandalised the statue in 2018 with red paint and a hammer. Hamilton’s Mayor Paula Southgate got scared and did the work of the terrorists for them. Thus, on On 12 June 2020, Hamilton’s statue was cancelled to appease the terrorists. Ref. George Floyd protests: Hamilton City Council remove controversial Captain statue, NZ Herald (2020)
Taitimu Maipi never faced charges for his attack on public property but rewarded by having his demands met. His reputation for this sort of success extends over his granddaughter Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke who gained the Maori Seat of Hauraki-Waikato in 2023. One of her most prominent acts has been to make a non-contact physical assault on other Members during a session of Parliament. Along with fellow Maori Party Members Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer she has been let off with a warning. And, in her case, a 7 day suspension from debates.
So, in a direct line of causality, the precedent of deserting Hamilton’s legacy and letting terror win is still making its effects felt today. The history made by rewarding Maipi and his hammer in 2018 rather than pushing back is a cause of Maipi-Clarke’s seizing control of the House of Representatives before a helpless Speaker.
Likewise, when Tuhoe gained co-governance over the Urewera National Park they illegally dismantled and burnt down dozens of heritage DOC huts (2022.) Like the Hamilton Police, warnings might be given by those in authority but the tribesmen will have their way. It’s the better to act and ask forgiveness than to ask for permission mentality that comes from being socialised in a dysfunctional Family System that has no personal boundaries.
It remains to be seen how permissive New Zealanders and The State will be, how much more heritage and founding identity we are willing to surrender before someone draws a line. The appeaser rationalisation is that yielding more tributes to the abuser will stop the abuse and end the conflict. Actually, it incentivises the abuse and rewards the fostering of greater resentments by capitalising grievances. Eventually we’ll figure that out so it’s only a matter of how much is lost before we arrive at that new consensus.
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Image ref. Captain Hamilton flanked by Langlans and Booth in the play ‘The Oval Table’ (1964.) Tauranga Photo News (1964,) Tauranga City Libraries. AHNZ cropped
Image ref. Captain Hamilton’s statue cancelled as homage to George Floyd. Andrew McRae, NZ Herald (2020)
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