1863: The Law Comes to Kaikoura
February 21, 2025
By AHNZ
Crown Law first came to Kaikoura with a single constable in 1863. He answered to the Marlborough Provincial Council (MPC) although that was a problematic idea in these early years. Leading up to the new police station the MPC had 2 rival administrations each with their own Superintendent and rival capitals: Picton and Blenhiem. One Superintendent had taken control of the police force and used it to lock out the majority from power!
Until these bickering runholders vs. merchants extended their powers the old law held sway in Kaikoura: Whaler’s Law. And example is given in ‘Blue Hulled Boats whaling history of Kaikoura’ (2001) recalling a 1911 newspaper article…
“Whalers’ law was always considered fair—just, discerning, and strictly observed. However, the day came when a representative of the Queen’s law arrived in Kaikoura: a constable determined to uphold its authority. At the time, disputes between individuals were typically settled during large gatherings in Kaikoura, such as holiday celebrations—often through personal combat. These encounters carried no ill will; they were simply a more cost-effective alternative to litigation. On one occasion, a particularly significant dispute led to a fierce fight. The constable observed without interference, allowing the combatants to settle their matter according to whalers’ law. But just as one had finally worn the other down—signaling the traditional resolution—he stepped in and arrested them both.”
This was an older authentic New Zealand culture, far older than the Treaty. They had a way of life and a community but the Government couldn’t let that be.
Their Kaikoura land claims were challenged in the usual rotten way. The State, in 1859, ignored their old purchase map of where Ngai Tahu’s Maori land extended and threw their old agent, Henry Kemp, under the bus. The free people of Kaikoura lost their titles to the Government with the colaboration of Ngai Tahu who, for their part, were given some of the spoils of this land grab for their own reserve. Soon after came the policeman. Not long after that he was joined by a Native Policeman.
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Image ref. Auckland Weekly News, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. AHNZ colourised (2025)
Ref. Blue Hulled Boats whaling history of Kaikoura, Garbes (2001,) Billy Winter, Facebook (2025)
Ref. Policing the Colonial Frontier, Richard Hill (1986)
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