When the English navigator Captain Cook arrived in 1769 he observed some deserted settlements and signs of distress among the sparse inhabitants. One of the Ngati Hei chiefs, Toi-Awa, informed the English navigator that they were continually invaded by raiding parties from the north and south who carried off many of their women and children, plundering their crops and possessions which left them in a sore state of poverty.
At about this time there was some subtribal movement from the outposts of Ngati Hei domains, as people congregated in the larger and more protected communities. This judicious move, in hindsight, would later prove to be ominous. During the ensuing five decades, not only were they exposed to more harassment from their neighbours but also to the greater menace about to be unleashed—a menace from which they and the many tribes throughout the country would take years to recover. The era of the musket was about to make its explosive debut.
The northern tribes of Ngapuhi set the stage by gaining limited access to firearms—this saw the curtain rise on acts of pure savagery and bloody carnage. Ngati Hei received the brunt of two main waves that saw the complete sacking of most of the pa in the district followed by the ceaseless slaughter of the inhabitants. The survivors fled inland to refuge with related tribes and never returned. Their former lands about Hahei, Tairua and Hikuai were abandoned which later enabled easy acquisition by legislative Acts of Parliament and extinguishment of Native Title following the land wars of the 1860s.
In 1870 a census return estimated the Ngati Hei (living in the Whitianga district) as so persons. Like all modern-day tribes, there has been much intermarriage and movement among their present members. Ngati Hei today could well be described as being a small tribe in terms of numbers, and they retain a minuscule portion of their once vast estates. On closer examination, however, it can be seen that they are demographically established amongst Hauraki and other related tribes throughout the country.
In terms of Hauraki and the impact upon its heritage, Ngati Hei have played a much greater part historically than other resident fleet tribes. They occupy a senior place in the order of settlement and have maintained a firm, visible presence in the light of their tempestuous past. Unlike the ignominious fate suffered by their contemporaneous kin tribe of Ngati Huarere, they have survived their assailants' efforts of dislodgment over the many centuries. It is no wonder that they still assert a proud authority in Hauraki affairs.
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