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Story: Marlborough region

Wairau affray

This information panel at Tuamarina explains the background to the confrontation between settlers and Māori which took place there on 17 June 1843. At least 26 people died in the incident.

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by Jock Phillips

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Marlborough region – Early Europeans, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/31762/wairau-affray (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 9 May 2011, updated 1 November 2016.