I mua i te tau 1840, kāore he tikanga mō te tau mai o te Pākehā ki Aotearoa noho ai. Heoi, i taua tau, ka tae ngā tāngata whai tuatahi a te Kamupene o Niu Tīreni ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara. I te tekau tau i muri mai, nā te kamupene, nā ōna kaupeka rānei ngā tāone o Wanganui, o Whakatū, o Niu Paremata, o Ōtepoti, o Ōtautahi i waihanga. He mahere tēnei o te tāone o Te Whanganui-a-Tara i hiahiatia ai, ngā tekihana tāone e 1,100, kotahi-eka (0.4 heketea) te rahi. I tāngia tēnei mahere ki Ingarangi hei whakawai i te hunga whakangao kia tautokona tēnei kaupapa. He mea uaua rawa atu mō te kairūri o te kamupene, a William Mein Smith ki te whai i te takoto o te mahere nei ki te wāhi i whakaritea i Pito-one (Petone).