Notes

Radio New Zealand : Documentary series.
1 Video and 2 podcasts.
Duration: Video 55 minutes.

The Wairau Affray in 1843 is considered the first of the NZ Wars conflicts and the only one to take place in the South Island. Made with the support of NZ On Air.

The fourth chapter in RNZ’s NZ Wars series examines the events that led to the first armed conflict between Ngāti Toa, the New Zealand Company and Nelson settlers just three years after the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

NZ Wars: Stories of Wairau, documents the clash between renowned Ngāti Toa fighting chiefs Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata and the notorious New Zealand Company which resulted in the loss of life and land.

The documentary examines the events that led to this conflict and its consequences which continue to reverberate nearly two centuries on.

Using dramatic re-enactments, interviews, historical records, haka and digital storytelling NZ Wars: Stories of Wairau brings to life the first-hand narratives of tangata whenua and tangata tiriti which have been passed down through the generations.

Presented by Mihingarangi Forbes and featuring Dr Vincent O’Malley alongside esteemed iwi historians Sir Matiu Rei, Kahu Ropata, Miria Pomare and Lloyd Carpenter, NZ Wars: Stories of Wairau explores the events that shaped our country and their ongoing influence in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand.

New Zealand wars