History of the Nelson Region, New Zealand facts for kids

The history of the Nelson Region in New Zealand is a fascinating story that began many centuries ago. This area, along with the Marlborough Region, was known to the Māori people as Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Maui. This beautiful name means "The Prow of the Canoe of Maui," showing how important this land was.

Early Māori Life in Nelson

Māori tribes have lived in the upper South Island for about 800 years. The very first tribes known to be here were the Waitaha, Rapuwai, Hāwea, Ngāti Wairangi, and Ngāti Māmoe. Later, the Ngāti Kuia tribe moved into the Pelorus Sound. They eventually pushed the Ngāi Tara tribe out of the Marlborough Region, forcing them to move to Waimea.

Around the early 1600s, another powerful tribe, the Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri, arrived from the Taupō area. They also settled in the Nelson region, taking over from the Ngāi Tara tribe who had moved to Waimea.

First European Visitors: The Dutch

On 13 December 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to see New Zealand. Just five days later, on 18 December 1642, his ship Heemskerck sailed into the Wainui Inlet in the Nelson Region.

The local Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri tribe sent two waka canoes to challenge the unknown ships. This was a traditional way to show their strength and warn newcomers. The Dutch sailors blew their trumpet to tell the waka not to come closer in a hostile way. But the Māori ignored this warning. The Dutch then fired their cannon at the approaching waka.

This made the Māori very angry. The next day, seven waka attacked the Heemskerck. Four Dutch sailors were killed in the fight before the Māori waka paddled back to shore. As the Dutch were dropping their anchor near the coast, eleven more Māori waka suddenly approached. This time, the crew on another Dutch warship, the Zeehaen, quickly fired at them. The Māori returned to shore with one person injured. Because of this hostile encounter, the Dutch named the bay "Moordenaers Baaij" (Murderer's Bay). Due to the fighting, the Dutch did not land here and sailed towards the North Island after exploring parts of the Cook Strait.

British Explorers Arrive

In January 1770, Captain James Cook explored the Nelson region. He named the sea between the North and South Islands the "Cook Strait". His crew landed at Queen Charlotte Sound and Ship Cove. Captain Cook had named both of these places. They spent several weeks there, fixing their ship The Endeavour and getting more food and water. Captain Cook and his crew returned to Ship Cove on their later trips to New Zealand in 1773 and 1777.

French Explorers and Plans

On 22 January 1827, the French explorer Dumont d'Urville and his crew on the ship Astrolabe entered Tasman Bay. They sailed into what is now known as the French Pass and explored D'Urville Island. The crew found a safe place to anchor near the Farewell Spit and painted the beautiful scenery. They refilled their supplies and traded with the local Māori. Dumont d'Urville even knew some Māori, which helped him talk with the people.

In 1838, Captain Jean Francois Langlois of the whaling ship Cachalot had a plan to start a French colony in Akaroa. He was told by the French government to try and buy land from Chief Te Rauparaha in the northern South Island. The French hoped that if enough French settlers lived in the South Island, the British would give up their plans to claim it.

In February 1840, the ship L’Aube left France to help the first French settlers. However, the British had already signed the Treaty of Waitangi in the North Island. In May 1840, they brought the Treaty documents to Akaroa, where Ngai Tahu chiefs signed it. The British then officially claimed the entire South Island.

New Māori Conflicts (Late 1700s)

By the late 1700s, the Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri faced new challenges. The Ngāti Apa tribe often attacked the Nelson region from their home on the Kapiti Coast in the lower North Island. At the same time, the Ngāti Kuia tribe, who lived in the Marlborough region to the east, also bothered them.

These attacks happened because tribes wanted to control the greenstone trail. This trail allowed them to cross Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri land to reach the valuable greenstone deposits on the West Coast of the South Island. There were also fights between the Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and Ngāi Tahu from the Canterbury area after some Ngāi Tahu people were killed.

The Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri planned a big attack on the Ngāti Apa home base at Kapiti Coast, hoping to take over Kapiti Island. But bad winds caused several canoes to capsize. The survivors were then defeated by their enemies when they reached the island. This left the Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri weak, and their land was slowly taken by the three surrounding tribes.

The Great Tainui-Taranaki Invasion (1820s)

In the mid-1820s, the northern South Island was invaded by the forces of Te Rauparaha. He was originally from Kawhia. His tribes had been fighting against the Waikato and Ngāti Maniapoto tribes. The Waikato tribes had gotten muskets from European traders, which gave them a big advantage in battles.

After many defeats, Te Rauparaha's tribes were given a choice: face total defeat or leave their homes in Kawhia and move south. They chose to move, and a huge migration happened in 1821. They first went to live with allied tribes in the Northern Taranaki region.

Te Rauparaha then began to conquer and settle new areas, from South Taranaki to Wanganui, Manawatu, and the present-day Wellington Region. Even though the local tribes fought back, they were overcome by Te Rauparaha's forces, who also had muskets. Some of the Ngāti Apa who survived fled to the northern South Island. From there, led by Te Rato, they often raided the lower North Island to attack tribes allied with Te Rauparaha.

Te Rauparaha and his allies then launched several attacks on the Nelson and Marlborough regions. They wanted to remove the Ngāti Apa resistance fighters and conquer the areas. One reason for the invasion was an insult from a Marlborough chief. He had promised to smash Te Rauparaha's head if he crossed Te Moana Raukawa (Cook Strait). A Kaikōura chief also threatened to cut open Te Rauparaha's belly.

One by one, the wooden pā (fortifications) of Ngāti Kuia fell to the invaders. The survivors either ran to the hills or made peace with the invaders. Te Rauparaha's forces then split into two groups. One group went west towards Nelson and the Tasman region. The other group, led by Te Rauparaha himself, raided the eastern coast of the South Island as far as Kaikōura. The Kaikōura chief was defeated and killed by Te Rauparaha.

British Colonisation of Nelson

The New Zealand Company, started by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, had already set up a settlement in Wellington. They needed more good land for settlers, so in May 1841, they sent three ships to find a suitable place for a new settlement called Nelson in the upper South Island.

The New Zealand Company representatives talked with Te Rauparaha on the Kapiti Coast to buy land in what is now Nelson. Te Rauparaha agreed, and the first ship carrying settlers arrived on 1 November 1841. Within two years, 2,000 settlers had arrived in Nelson.

The Wairau Affray and Land Disputes

The New Zealand Company soon realized they needed an extra 70,000 acres of land for all the settlers. They sent surveyors to map out the fertile Wairau Valley. However, the Ngāti Toa tribe said that the Wairau Valley was not part of the land they had sold. The New Zealand Company ignored their concerns.

Te Rauparaha asked the Land Commissioner, William Spain, to remove the surveyors from the Wairau area. But before William Spain arrived to hear the case, the New Zealand Company surveyors kept working. Te Rauparaha and his men then tried to stop them. They removed surveying equipment and burned huts.

The New Zealand Company accused Te Rauparaha of arson (burning property). They argued that the Ngāti Toa had gained the upper South Island through conquest, so the land wasn't truly theirs to begin with. They then sent an armed group to arrest Te Rauparaha. Te Rangihaeata, another leader, insisted the land belonged to them. A gun was accidentally fired, which led to a gunfight. Eleven settlers and two Māori were killed.

Because of this event, known as the Wairau Affray, the people of Nelson formed the Nelson Battalion of Militia. They also built a fortification called Fort Arthur on Church Hill to protect themselves.

Key Moments in Nelson's History

• 1642: The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sails into Golden Bay.
• 1770: Captain James Cook explores the Nelson region and names the sea between the North and South Island "Cook Strait".
• 1827: The French explorer Dumont d'Urville and his French crew on the ship Astrolabe enter Tasman Bay.
• 1841: The first ships carrying immigrants from the New Zealand Company arrive in Nelson.
• 1843: A serious clash between Māori and British settlers, known as the Wairau Affray, happens at Tuamarina.
• 1845: The Nelson Battalion of Militia is formed, becoming the first military unit in the South Island.
• 1853: The Nelson Province is created under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852.
• 1858: Nelson is declared a Bishop's See and a city by Queen Victoria.
• 1859: Settlers in the Wairau District vote to form the Marlborough Province.
• 1860: During the First Taranaki War, nearly 1,200 Taranaki refugees, including women and children, are moved to Nelson.
• 1876: The Nelson Province is ended under the Counties Bill of 1876.
• 1892: The New Zealand Church Mission Society (NZCMS) is formed in a Nelson church hall.
• 1901: The 1st Regiment, Nelson Mounted Rifles is formed in Nelson.
• 1941: Nelson military units begin preparing for war as part of the 11th Brigade Group, 5th Division.
• 1958: Nelson City gets a Coat of Arms from the Royal College of Heralds to celebrate 100 years of Nelson being a city.
• 1965: Construction of Christ Church Cathedral is finished.