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Story: Missions and missionaries

War party, 1832

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War party, 1832

Henry Williams and other missionaries made many efforts to prevent Ngāpuhi from making war on other tribes. In January 1832 Williams and his colleague William Fairburn joined a taua (war party) led by the Ngāpuhi chief Titore against Ngāi Te Rangi of Tauranga. This engraving shows the missionaries' sailboat surrounded by waka taua (war canoes), some equipped with sails. Williams did not manage to prevent this attack.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0031-1835-1

by Henry Williams

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Peter J. Lineham, Missions and missionaries – First years of the CMS mission, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/27997/war-party-1832 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Peter J. Lineham, published 23 March 2011.