1863: Surrender of Rangiriri

November 21, 2023

By AHNZ

Today in New Zealand history, 21 November, 1863, the Surrender of Rangiriri. This was a strategic defensive fort the Maoris had built over the course of months but it fell in about two days. The Maori invasion of Auckland was going very poorly but the the counter-invasion of the Colony was doing very well.

This first major engagement of the Waikato War was a blow for the rebels but very costly for both sides. The death mortal wounding the previous day of Captain Mercer is remembered today by the town named after him: Mercer.

The historian also appreciates that it is also that this Southern Checkpoint of 1863 has also been the Southern Checkpoint in 2020/21 for those wishing to leave Auckland and enter the Waikato during the COVID Lockdowns.

“Deb Parkhouse Of course they weren’t (defeated) of course they didn’t (surrender). whitewashing all the failures. This sanitisation is deplorable.” – Deb Parkhouse to AHNZ (2021)

“Depends who is driving the bus on the battlefields visit.” – Tamai Sinclair, replying to Parkhouse, ibid

“The first Rangiriri Pa was the second great stand of the retreating side in the Waikato War. This earth fortress of South Auckland was put to siege on 20 November 1863 but surrendered the very next morning.” – 1863: Do We Need A 3rd Rangiriri Pa?

“The battle of Rangiriri begins with an artillery bombardment of the strong Maori defensive line between Lake Waikare and the Waikato. A frontal attack by British troops is repelled with fierce hand-to-hand fighting and a large number of casualties, although troops landing in the rear also threaten the Maori position. Some of the defenders slip away during the night; the remainder surrender the following morning” – Manukau’s Journey, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections

“General Cameron…At Rangiriri, on the banks of the Waikato, he forced nearly two hundred warriors to surrender, but only after his men had suffered well over a hundred casualties in unsuccessful attempts to storm the Maori parapets.” – Sinclair (1991)

“Rangiriri was designed by Waikato Maori to hold up the British advance down the Waikato River. At the time it was attacked, however, they had not had time to garrison it fully…most of the defenders evacuated the position on the night of 20 November. The following morning, after confusion over raising a flag of truce, 180 rearguard defenders were captured. Cameron’s forces then surged up the river and occupied the empty Kingitanga capital of Ngaruawahia on 8 December.” – King (2003)

In visiting the Rangiriri cemetery years ago I was impressed to learn that armor-plated gunships were involved. Some of the remains of one of these, the Pioneer, have become a war monument at Mercer. During the Woke Aotearoa New Zealand Culture of the early 2020s there were calls by some Maoris to remove the monument. Ironically such a Cancellation would have involved literally ripping 2 pages out of Tainui’s own Waikato War education document for school kids! Ref. waikatotainui.com

Revisionist history in the last generation or so teaches that the Rangiriri Rebels were not defeated and did not surrender even though they were desperate and depleted of supplies. As the story goes, they put up a white flag to negotiate and when the troops took this for giving up the Maoris just….decided “sure, whatever.” and threw in the towel. The only thing more ridiculous that that proposition is believing it without question. But I guess if you want to pass your government school history exam you’d better put that down on your paper.

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Image ref. AHNZ Archives (2014)

The Penguin History of New Zealand, Keith Sinclair (ee1991)

The Penguin History of New Zealand, Michael King (2003)

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