What makes New Zealand special? While the answer might be many things, from history’s perspective, one thing stands out: this country was intentionally founded to be unlike the British Empire’s previous colonies. New Zealand was to be different. Although the empire would still seek to spread the umbrella of nationhood and civilisation, it intended to do so with a newly found compassion and humility. It would try to do things right.

The motivation was Christian, influenced by the work of anti-slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce, and the influential Clapham evangelicals. The humanitarian ideals of this movement were passed down to the next generation of British leaders, which was determined to prevent the abuses of colonization that had occurred in other nations. Although their success at achieving this ideal was perhaps ultimately unattainable, their intentions and the value of the foundation they laid remain indisputable.

One of the new generation of evangelical leaders was James Stephen, who as British Colonial Secretary instructed Governor Hobson to establish an agreement based on mutually beneficial principles. With Stephen’s support, Christian missionaries were thus crucial to the creation of both the 1835 Declaration of Independence by the United Confederation of Tribes and the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.

Colonisation and exploitation did not drive the missionary work. They sincerely believed that the Christian message was good news for Māori, and clearly it was well received, as is attested by a rich legacy of Māori Anglicanism and Christian faith. And with that, New Zealand indeed would be profoundly different from British enterprises in Africa and Asia, and absolutely different from that of the Australian colony.

As an Anglican charity, Purewa Cemetery resonates strongly with this history and celebrates the lives of many historically important Anglicans. One of these is Sir Kīngi Īhaka. As a Māori Anglican priest, he championed Māori language education and was a powerful force in the promotion of Polynesian performing arts and Kapa haka.

Another important example is Rev. Robert Maunsell one of the pioneer CMS missionaries who worked with William Williams on producing a Māori language Bible. He secured 32 Māori signatures to the Treaty of Waitangi under the conviction that it would help protect Māori from harm. He later publicly stated that he believed its guarantees were not adequately supported.

Purewa is the final resting place of many men and women who were a big part of that history. Often this is reflected in family relationships. YWCA pioneer Mary Anabella Geddes, for example, was born in 1864 at the Mangungu Mission on Hokianga Harbour. She was the daughter of Hanapara Gillies (Ngāpuhi) and William Webster, a Scottish timber pioneer. Mary’s Māori ancestry remained important to her throughout her life and was a point of pride for her descendants.

Another example is Elizabeth Reid, who was the wife of great Chief Kamariera Te Hautakiri Wharepapa. Their daughter Mere married one of the first national New Zealand rugby stars—Irishman Tom “Darby” Ryan. These and many other stories reflect a tapestry of culture, ethnicity and shared purpose that is uniquely and beautifully New Zealand.

Learn more

New Zealand Church Missionary Society 

Robert Maunsell

Bible & Treaty

References:

Sir James Stephen by Carlo Marochetti, marble bust, 1858, NPG 1029, © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Sir Kingi Ihaka – Photograph taken by Phil Reid, Alexander Turnbull Library, EP/1989/0884/32-F