ABSTRACT
Not unnaturally there was bitter feeling against the natives among the harassed settlers. l The restoration of order was no easy task, as the natives in their bush fastnesses were almost unassailable. Soon, however, an opportunity offered itself for striking a resounding blow. The chief Te Rangihaeata was in arms. The Governor received evidence that his old ally in the Wairau affair, the wily Te Rauparaha on his island of Kapiti, was plotting against the British power. In July 1846 he landed a party from a warship, seized Te Rauparaha, and kept him prisoner. It is disputed to this day
whether there was sufficient evidence against the chief, but his seizure produced the desired impression. Te Rangihaeata was defiant, and though a force was sent against him he was not decisively defeated. In May 1847 trouble occurred at Wanganui and did not subside for some months. But July 1846 was the turning-point: Governor Grey was on all sides recognized as the dominating figure on the New Zealand stage.
