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Story: Māori–Pākehā relations

Attack at Burtts' farm, 1863

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Attack at Burtts' farm, 1863

This drawing, by the military leader Major Gustavus von Tempsky, shows an 1863 attack by Waikato Māori on Burtts' farm, near Pukekohe. A party of about 20 Māori (left) opened fire on farmworkers and their families, including the farm manager's daughter, Mary Ann Watson, and two militiamen, or part-time soldiers (right). Incidents like this occurred across the North Island during the New Zealand wars of the 1860s.

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Hocken Collections, University of Otago

Reference: 12,513

Permission of the Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. Further information may be obtained from the Library through its website.

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How to cite this page

Mark Derby, Māori–Pākehā relations – Military conflicts, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/28565/attack-at-burtts-farm-1863 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Mark Derby, published 22 March 2011.