The Crossing at Mangatāwhiri Stream

Today I’m going to talk about a key moment in New Zealand history: the Crown’s crossing

of the Mangatāwhiri Stream in July 1863. This single event is important because it marked the official

beginning of the Waikato War, which became the largest and most significant conflict

of the New Zealand Wars. To understand why this moment matters, we need a bit of

context. In the 1850s and 1860s, many Māori in the central North Island

supported the Kīngitanga, or the Māori King Movement. It was created to protect land,

strengthen unity between iwi, and provide a political system equal to the Crown.

For the Crown, especially Governor George Grey, the movement was seen as a threat