A history grant for a project on Tauranga Waitaha leader Hakaraia Mahika has been awarded to NZ historian Mark Derby. 

Hakaraia Mahika was one of the military leaders during the battles of Gate Pā at Pukehinahina, Te Ranga and the Tauranga Bush Campaign, and is commemorated with a pou at Gate Pā.

History grants have been awarded to 10 projects which will tell a wide range of histories - from the revival of Moko Mataora - facial tattoo - in the North, to a 1795 shipwreck in Tamatea Dusky Sound in the South.

"The annual Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants supports historians, researchers and writers working on non-fiction projects that will significantly enhance our understanding of New Zealand's past," says Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage chief executive Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae.

Leauanae says a total of $108,200 is awarded this year to ten projects that demonstrate quality and originality, and will contribute to the study of our nation’s history and society.

"This year’s recipients will dig into some interesting topics and people, including health and sickness among settlers in the 19th century, the military figure Hakaraia Mahika and the Tauranga Wars, an architectural account of woolsheds in the Wairarapa, and the immigration story of Italians to Aotearoa since the 1950s."

Hakaraia Mahika is remembered as a 'warrior peacemaker'.

A curriculum article for schools on Hakaraia written by Mark Derby can be viewed here

Gate Pa Reserve where pou stand for leaders including Hākaraia Māhika. Photo: Supplied.

"One project tells the story of the determination of a hapū to revive Moko Mataora - facial tattoo - at Waimirirangi Marae in North Hokianga, and another a biography of the extended Hayward family, including Rudall and Ramai Hayward, and its contribution to the film industry throughout the twentieth century.

Leauanae says many of these projects provide a unique perspective of New Zealand, with some histories the first of their kind to be shared with the wider public.

"Congratulations to all recipients."

A list of recipients and projects funded for this year’s round of Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants:

• Whina Te Whiu - Te Toi Ora o Waimirirangi: Reviving Moko Mataora kanohi
• Karen Wrigglesworth - Blooming Impossible: A life of ‘iris lady’ Jean Stevens
• Jennifer Ashton - Ambassadors of the East: The Wreck of the Endeavour in Dusky Sound and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Early Connection to Asia
• Jane Malthus - The Visionary World of Eden Hore
• Chris Cochran - Woolsheds of the Wairarapa - An Architect’s Appreciation of a New Zealand Vernacular
• Annabel Cooper - The Haywards: A Portrait of an Entertaining Family
• Samuel Day - Taking Action Against Institutional Racism: The History of the Auckland Committee On Racism and Discrimination
• Mark Derby - Son of Satan or Prophet of Peace? Hakaraia Mahika and the Tauranga Wars
• Pamela Wood - Symptoms of Settlement: Health and Sickness in New Zealand Settlers’ Lives
• Antonella Sarti Evans - The cultural benefits of New Zealand and Italian connections through Italian immigration to Aotearoa from the 1950s to date

Whiria Te Mahara History Grants are administered by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Find out more about the grants on the website: https://mch.govt.nz/funding-nz-culture/ministry-grants-awards/new-zealand-history-research-trust

Waitaha leader Hākaraia Māhika by carver Tupaea Ahomiro at Gate Pa. Photo: Alison McCullouch.

Who is Hākaraia Māhika?

The following excerpt is from Te Pou o Pukehinahina | Gate Pā, written by Debbie McCauley

Māhika was taken as a child slave from his iwi during an attack on Mauao in 1820. During his time in Northland he was baptised Hākaraia (Zachariah) and became a student of Rev. Thomas Chapman and his wife Anne.

He would become a leader and prophet (poropiti), blending Christian philosophies with Māori teachings and preaching peaceful engagement with Pākehā during the 1840s and 1850s.

Hākaraia’s attitude changed as he witnessed the loss of Māori lands and lives and the Crown invasion of the Waikato.

He became a warrior and spiritual leader for the Māori force during the battles of Gate Pā | Pukehinahina and Te Ranga.

A survivor of both battles, Hākaraia did not participate in the Tauranga Māori surrender on 25 July 1864, however raupatu included Waitaha customary land.

During the 1867 Tauranga Bush Campaign (Te Weranga ki Taumata) the Crown labelled Hākaraia a rebel due to his role as a resistance leader protesting the survey of confiscated land. Using scorched earth tactics the Crown pursued Hākaraia.

On 23 March 1870 Crown forces attacked Waipuna Pā (Maraetahi) in the Waioeka Gorge near Ōpōtiki. 19 were caught and executed in the riverbed. One of those decapitated was Hākaraia. His body was recovered and draped in the Kīngitanga flag.