Tītore


Tītore was a Rangatira of the Ngāpuhi iwi. He was a war leader of the Ngāpuhi who lead the war expedition against the Māori tribes at East Cape in 1820 and 1821. He also led the war expeditions to Tauranga and Maketu in 1832 and 1833, following the incident in the Bay of Islands that is known as the Girls' War.
He was the son of Hāpai and the grandson of Toko. He was the brother of Rapu. Tītore was the nephew of Tāreha, principal rangatira of the Ngāti Rēhia hapū, of Kerikeri, and he was related to Hōne Heke and Hengi of Ngāti Rēhia. He married a sister of Hongi Hika. He lived at Waimate North; then after the Girls’ War he lived at Kororāreka in the Bay of Islands, as the peace settlement after the Girl's War resulted in his receiving Kororāreka as reparation for the death of his relation, Hengi.

Visit to England

In 1815 Tītore went to Port Jackson, and spent 2 years with the Revd Samuel Marsden. In 1817 Tītore and Tui sailed to England in the brig, Kangaroo. They visited Professor Samuel Lee at Cambridge University and assisted him in the preparation of a grammar and vocabulary of Māori which, following a visit to Lee by Hongi Hika and Waikato, was published in 1820 as First Grammar and Vocabulary of the New Zealand Language.

Tītore’s and Te Wera’s southern expedition 1820-21

In April 1821, Tītore and the chief Te Wera from Okura, returned to the Bay of Islands after 16 months of fighting against the tribes on the East Coast of the North Island at Tolaga Bay and Poverty Bay.

Tītore’s war expeditions in 1832 & 1833

In the peace settlement at the end of the Girls' War, Kororāreka was ceded to Tītore by Pōmare II as compensation for Hengi's death, which was accepted by those engaged in the fighting. However, the duty of seeking revenge had passed to Mango and Kakaha, the sons of Hengi; they took the view that the death of their father should be acknowledged through a muru, or war expedition, against tribes to the south. It was within Māori traditions to conduct a muru against tribes who had no involvement in the events that caused the death of an important chief.
Tītore did not commence the muru until January 1832. The Revd Henry Williams accompanied the first expedition, without necessarily believing that he could end the fighting, but with the intention of continuing to persuade the combatants as to the Christian message of peace and goodwill. The journal of Henry Williams provides an extensive account of this expedition, which can be described as an incident in the so-called Musket Wars. The Ngāpuhi warriors, who included Hōne Heke, were successful in battles on the Mercury Islands and at Tauranga, with the muru continuing until late July 1832.
In February 1833 Tītore consulted Tohitapu, a Tohunga, to foresee the success of a second war expedition; then Tītore led a party of Te Rarawa, allies of the Ngāpuhi, back to Tauranga. Williams also accompanied the second expedition.

Exchanging gifts with William IV

Tītore was one of 13 northern rangatira who signed a letter to King William IV in 1831, seeking an alliance with the United Kingdom; with a request to the King to become "friend and guardian of these Islands" to protect them from the "tribe of Marion", which is how the Māori of the Bay of Islands referred to the French. The Māori of the Bay of Islands were concerned about the French presence in the South Pacific as a consequence of the massacre of Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and 26 crewman, who were killed and cannibalized in the Bay of Islands in 1772.
In 1834, F.W.R. Sadler of HMS Buffalo received gifts from Tītore for delivery to the King, which included two mere made of pounamu. In 1835, the King sent him a suit of armour, now in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand

On 28 October 1835, Tītore signed He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tirene, which proclaimed the sovereign independence of New Zealand. The Declaration arose in response to concerns over the lawlessness of British subjects in New Zealand, and in response to a fear that France would declare sovereignty over the islands. The document also arose from movements in Māori society. From 1816 onwards, a number of Northern Māori chiefs had made visits to New South Wales and Norfolk Island, as well as to England, leading to discussions about unifying the tribes and the formation of a Māori government. Māori had become involved in trade with New South Wales and owned trading ships. In 1834, the chiefs had selected a flag for use on ships originating from New Zealand. In the process of signing, the chiefs established themselves as representing a confederation under the title of the "United Tribes of New Zealand".

War with Pōmare II

Starting in March 1837, Pōmare II fought a three-month war with Tītore. Hōne Heke fought alongside Tītore.
Tītore lead 800 warriors in 42 war canoes against Pōmare's Pā at Otuihu in the Bay of Islands, although the Pā had strong defences and the attacks in March and April were repulsed. An underlying cause of the fighting was a dispute as to the boundary line of the Kororāreka block that had been surrendered as a consequence of the death of Hengi some seven years previously in the Girls’ War.
The war ended in June 1837 following the death of Tītore; however, it is not clear whether he died as the results of battle wounds or following an illness. Following Tītore's death, HMS Rattlesnake fired a formal salute in his honour.

Literature and sources