As written up by Mackay, the agreement covered ‘all the land at Ohinemuri’. However, Ropata told Puckey (Mackay’s successor as native officer at Thames) in mid-1869 that ‘the understanding in respect of their lands leased to the Government at Ohinemuri only had reference to the north bank (proper right bank) of the Ohinemuri Stream’.²⁵ So there is doubt as to the precise intentions of Ropata and his co-signatories. Taraia Ngakuti did not sign the agreement but instead wrote to Bowen giving his consent to the Governor having the gold but not the land. In addition, Mackay was handed the same day a letter dated 26 October 1868, which Te Wauo Toiwhare, a relative of Te Hira, had addressed to John Thorp of Opukeko, saying that he would give over ‘his auriferous lands’ to Mackay.²⁶

With support for Te Hira apparently crumbling, the New Zealand Herald reported: ‘The Hauhaus were busy talking the matter over amongst themselves, [they] were as a house divided against itself, leaving very little doubt that they would be talked over one by one until the arrangements were completed satisfactorily.’²⁷ These forecasts were, however, premature.

10.1.3 Outside influences and local Maori responses

With so many Maori of Ohinemuri committing themselves to the opening of their lands and the Kingitanga in apparent disarray, affairs at Ohinemuri appeared hopeful to miners and Mackay. On 10 January 1869, the ‘insurgent’ Hakaraia of Waitaha arrived at Piako with an armed party, but he was sent away by the Piako Maori, who said that they could manage their own affairs.²⁸

In January 1869, Mackay asked Te Moananui and others of the ‘loyal party’ to ‘assist in arranging the Ohinemuri question’. On 4 February 1869, Mackay and ‘a large number of the friendly Natives of the Hauraki District’ travelled to Ohinemuri for a meeting which Te Hira attended. On 5 February, Te Moananui was reported as saying to him ‘I wish you to come and remain in Hauraki. You think a great deal of your king. He is not of any value to you.’ And, later that day, ‘The land was given you by the tribes to reside on, and to look after the land and the people. It was not meant that you should go away and leave the land and the people to confusion.’²⁹ The next day, Riwai Te Kiore, who had so reluctantly agreed to the mining of his own land, was reported to have ‘lamented the divisions in the once united people of Hauraki. These divisions had been caused by Hauhauism and Kingism.’³⁰

Neither chief, however, was reported as attempting to dissuade Te Hira from opposing mining. Their involvement appears to have had less to do with gold than with preventing the

25. Puckey to McLean, 19 October 1869, AJHR, 1870, A-19, p 4 (doc o6, p 179)

26. Mackay, ‘Report by Mr Commissioner Mackay’, p 10, ends mb, mc

27. New Zealand Herald, 22 December 1868 (doc o6, p 162)

28. Ibid, 23 February 1869 (p 163)

29. Ibid, 8 February 1869 (pp 166–167)

30. Ibid (pp 167–168)