Story: Treaty of Waitangi

Burning of the Boyd, 1809

Burning of the Boyd, 1809

Conflicts such as the 1809 attack on the sailing ship Boyd disrupted trading and other contact between Māori and Europeans in the period before Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed. While the Boyd was anchored in Whangaroa Harbour in the Bay of Islands, local Māori killed most of the crew and passengers in retaliation for the mistreatment of their chief Te Ara, who had sailed on the ship. European whalers then avenged the attack, sparking intertribal warfare. The Boyd incident provoked anxious debate among New South Wales officials, and among Māori, about how to maintain order in New Zealand.

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Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tāmaki
Oil painting by Walter Wright

Permission of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Claudia Orange, 'Treaty of Waitangi - Creating Te Tiriti o Waitangi', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/36337/burning-of-the-boyd-1809 (accessed 25 March 2023)

Story by Claudia Orange, published 20 Jun 2012