In celebrating the 200th anniversary of Christian mission in New Zealand, we are honouring the leadership of the Rev Samuel Marsden and Ruatara, a young rangatira from the Bay of Islands. But let us not forget those who enabled Marsden and Ruatara to become leaders of Christian mission in our midst. 

Maori place a korowai [cloak] made of feathers around the shoulders of their leaders to remind them of the need to soar above personal differences, political bickering, and tribal prejudices. The feathers of the korowai signify their leaders can never fly alone lest those who gave them the feathers for the wings are forgotten. Amongst those who gave Marsden and Ruatara the feathers for their wings were two women. 

I first uncovered their stories while researching the life of Ruatara for a short homily I gave in St Peter’s Cathedral in Hamilton on 11^th May 1999. The stories of Elizabeth and Miki may be less well known but they will illustrate for us how those in authority receive their power to become leaders from others.

Marsden and Ruatara first met briefly in 1806 in Port Jackson. Marsden was by then a substantial citizen as Principal Chaplain for New South Wales and a magistrate. He was also a wealthy farmer owning 2,974 acres at Parramatta near Sydney where he grazed sheep, horses, cattle, goats and pigs, at the same time experimenting with artificial grasses and the cross-breeding of sheep. Having conceived of a mission to Maori he acted with characteristic purpose by opening his home for visiting Maori and sailing to England in February 1807 to recruit evangelists for New Zealand. 

Ruatara was a young rangatira from the Bay of Islands, and a close relative of Te Pahi and Hongi Hika. Ruatara decided he would seek work on a series of European vessels. While working on the Argo he was discharged without pay at Port Jackson where he first met Marsden. Afterwards he joined a whaling ship on which he was treated well before later seeking work on the Santa Anna. Ruatara suffered horrendous treatment on this ship. With a group of sailors he was dropped off at the Bounty Islands, well east of the South Island. Here they were left to fend for themselves for almost a year with little water or provisions. Those who survived were eventually collected with their 8,000 seal skins. Despite Ruatara’s mistreatment he stayed with the Santa Anna for the voyage back to England because by this time he was determined to meet with King George 3^rd

The Santa Anna arrived in London in July 1809 but Ruatara was refused permission to go ashore. Instead he was beaten and abused by his captain and forced to work without pay. When the ship was finally discharged he was transferred to the Ann bound for New South Wales. The captain of the Ann found Ruatara left naked by the crew of the Santa Anna so he refused to allow him to stay on board until the crew of the Santa Anna had given Ruatara suitable clothes. 

By coincidence Samuel Marsden and his wife Elizabeth were both travelling back to Australia on the Ann having recently recruited John King and William Hall as artisan missionaries. Early into the voyage Marsden found Ruatara wrapped in a greatcoat spitting up blood. During their initial conversation Ruatara confided in Marsden he’d                                                           

not received proper payment for his labours on the Santa Anna. Also he was dismayed by his failure to meet with the King because this meant his people would find great fault with him from not having succeeded with the object of his voyage. Marsden now realized that apart from suffering terrible injuries Ruatara was extremely depressed. Therefore he decided to take Ruatara into the privacy of his cabin quarters where over the next few weeks he could be nursed back to health. 

Here is where we meet the first of these two women who had a critical influence on the beginnings of Christian mission in New Zealand. Elizabeth Marsden was Samuel Marsden’s wife. She would have born the major part of nursing Ruatara back to health [even if there was a ship’s surgeon] because in those days nursing was the traditional role of women of which most men knew little about. The severity of Ruatara’s injuries could easily have led to serious complications from infection, possibly even death since ship’s hygiene would have been basic at best. So there is no doubt Elizabeth Marsden’s careful nursing of Ruatara gave him the best chance of surviving the long boat journey. At the same time she enabled an important friendship to begin between Marsden and Ruatara.   

Certainly, at this early stage patrons of the New Zealand Mission saw the encounter on the Ann between Marsden and Ruatara as providential for a future New Zealand Mission. Also from a Maori point of view the meeting between the missionaries and Ruatara was at best consequential, because in the caring for Ruatara during his illness their hau and Ruatara’s had been brought together. Such exchanges of hau represents an intermingling: lives are mingled together and this is how among persons and things so intermingled, each emerges from their own sphere and mixes together. 

During Ruatara’s convalescence he was also befriended by John King to whom he soon became devoted. William Hall’s wife sadly miscarried twins during the voyage which meant Hall was understandably distracted and unable to spend much time with Ruatara. Marsden and Ruatara were to continue conversing over the long voyage while learning each other’s languages and educating each other in their respective cultures and beliefs. In a letter to the CMS Marsden was to remark:

Duaterra [Ruatara] is a very fine young man, about two-and-twenty years of age, five feet ten inches high. He possesses a most amiable disposition; is kind, grateful, and affectionate; his understanding strong and clear. He is married to one of the daughter’s of a chief called Wanakee [Waraki, a leading Ngaati Rahiri rangatira at Waitangi]. His wife’s name is Miki…….. 

On arrival in Australia in February 1810 Marsden hoped to send Ruatara along with Hall and King directly to New Zealand for a mission to be established but his hopes were dashed by the fear created from a recent massacre of a ship’s crew off the coast of New Zealand. Instead he invited Ruatara to work with him on his large farm at Parramatta near Sydney. Here Ruatara began learning something of the skills of agriculture which eventually he hoped to teach his people back home.

While Ruatara was still working for Marsden we meet the second of these two women who was to have a critical influence on the early beginnings for a Christian mission in New Zealand. Miki was Ruatara’s first wife and a woman of intrepid character with strong leadership qualities amongst her people.                                                         3.

But it was to be through Miki’s loving-actions towards her long absent husband when she became the catalyst for Ruatara’s early decision to return to home, prompting Marsden into realizing this could prove a useful step towards establishing a New Zealand mission.

For several years Ruatara’s wife Miki had not seen their husband since he had been working on European vessels and Ruatara seemed in no hurry to return from working on Marsden’s farm. In the meantime two Maori from Ruatara’s tribal area came to visit Marsden later in 1811. With them they brought a waiata composed by Miki for her long absent husband. Marsden referred to it as ‘Mike’s [Miki’s] song’. When one of the men sang it to Ruatara he became so deeply moved he now longed to return home! There and then he sought out Marsden to arrange a passage for him and his friends to travel back to the Bay of Islands.

Marsden was able to arrange for the Frederick to take Ruatara and his friends to the Bay of Islands in October 1811 if they worked their passage. However, when they reached the Bay of Islands Captain Bodie refused to allow Ruatara and his friends to go ashore. According to Ruatara’s account [given later to Samuel Marsden] he was greatly distressed because he’d been away from home for three years and was now anxious to see his wife and people. Instead Captain Bodie sent Ruatara and his friends ashore on Norfolk Island. The Ann rescued them and in August 1812 brought them back to Port Jackson. Again Ruatara lived with Marsden on his farm. Late in 1812 the captain of the Ann agreed to take Ruatara home provided he worked his passage. Early in 1813, after spending another five months at sea, Ruatara was at last able to return to Rangihoua. Here he was received with great joy by his people, with Marsden reporting they had made him their ‘King’. During his time away Te Pahi and his elder brother died so Ruatara also inherited Te Pahi’s lands at Te Puna.

Back in Australia Thomas Kendall arrived from England with his family in October 1813. He had been recruited as the mission’s school master. Meanwhile Marsden learned he could purchase a ship to take the missionaries to New Zealand. He bought the Active and engaged a captain. However Governor Macquarie would not allow Marsden to sail at that time so Marsden gave Kendall and Hall permission to take the Active on an exploratory six week expedition to the Bay of Islands, anchoring near the paa site at Rangihoua June 1814. After a successful six weeks Kendall and Hall were ready for departure. This time with Ruatara on board since Hongi Hika decided to visit Port Jackson and insisted Ruatara travel with him to act as interpreter. By now Ruatara had three wives who were all distraught at hearing he was leaving so soon.

In November 1814 Ruatara again returned to New Zealand. This time he was to accompany and welcome Samuel Marsden [for whom it was a first visit] along with the three missionary families of Hall, Kendall, and King. 

During the early part of this voyage, Ruatara began having doubts about the wisdom of offering protection and land to the missionaries because of what he’d heard and seen of the treatment by Europeans of Aborigines while he was working in Australia. Ruatara expressed his anxieties to Marsden who tried to reassure him of their good intentions but found he could not undo the damage to Ruatara’s thinking.

In the circumstances Marsden offered to take the ship back to Sydney where he would send the missionaries ashore if that is what Ruatara wanted. Ruatara demurred while still remaining doubtful. Not until Marsden had promised the missionaries would settle at Rangihoua amongst his people and nowhere else did Ruatara resume all his usual good humour - a commitment that shaped the future of early Christian mission in New Zealand.

After arriving in Oihi Bay on the 22^nd December [close to the pa site of Rangihoua] it was Ruatara’s initiative and energy which organised the famous 1814 Christmas Day service, the first Christian service on New Zealand soil. He arranged for about half an acre of land to be fenced off as a stock yard for the European animals and then went about constructing a pulpit and a reading desk from which Marsden conducted the service. Ruatara also provided old canoe hulls for seating the Europeans and acted as his people’s language interpreter during the service. 

Later both Ruatara and Marsden were to make exploratory journeys to other tribes, some as far away as Thames and Hauraki where Ruatara introduced Marsden and predisposed the people in his favour. They arrived back in the Bay of Islands in the January of 1815 when Marsden made the final arrangements with Ruatara for the transfer of land for a Christian mission site.

In mid February of that same year Ruatara became ill with his condition gradually deteriorating. By the time Marsden needed to return to Australia he knew he was leaving a dying Ruatara. In the circumstances Marsden tried to spend as much time as possible with him. Sadly, Ruatara died March 1815 which was only three months after accompanying Marsden on his first visit to New Zealand.

There can be no doubt by Ruatara’s generous friendship, hospitality and initiative, he made it possible for Marsden to organise and bring the first Christian mission to New Zealand. Therefore he clearly merits the title given to him:

Te Ara mo te Rongopai [The Pathway for the Gospel]

At the same time the stories of Elizabeth and Miki will hopefully remind us there are always those in the background who enable important leaders such as Marsden and Ruatara to become well known in our midst.

Lucy Nanson [anchorite] 

Further reading:

Between Worlds: Early Exchanges between Maori and Europeans 1773-1815

Chapter 17: ‘The Sweets of Civilization’ Ruatara and Samuel Marsden

Chapter 18: The Mission at Rangihoua

Author: Anne Salmond

Publisher: Viking Penguin Books N