1820 - 1920's
MAORI AND PAKEHA ON THE NORTH SHORE, 1820 - 1920's.
Around 1790 Ngāti Whatua fought the Ngāti Paoa at Narrow Neck, the winners, Ngāti Paoa fortified North Head. Ngāti Whatua returned later and after a siege, the Ngāti Paoa escaped to Waiheke. Ngāti Whatua briefly occupied the pā, before abandoning it. Later in the 1790’s Te Kawerau and Ngai Tai assisted Ngāti Whatua in its attack on Ngāpuhi, and thus for a time relied on the strength of Ngāti Whatua for defence in the Auckland area.
1820’s Ngāpuhi, equipped with guns, returned again to North Shore in 1821, having just defeated combined Hauraki and Waitematā area tribes at Panmure. Te Kawerau resisted at their pa on Kauri Point and Ngai Tai resisted at their pa at Greenhithe. Both pā were attacked, destroyed and abandoned. The North Shore was thus unpopulated for some years.
Mid 1830’s, remnants of the Ngai Tai iwi re-emerged from the forests of the Kaipara and Waitakeres, and established Kainga (not pa) at Northcote Point and North Head. Te Kawerau returned to Kauri Point about the same time, and moved on to Mahurangi and the Kaipara around 1844. Ngai Tai appear to have left Northcote point also in the 1840’s.
1841 - Mahurangi Purchase from Ngāti Whatua, Ngāti Paoa took place. Ngāti Paoa were granted land to the north of Mt Victoria and sold this in 1860.
The Mahurangi Purchase
The Crown's purchase from Maori of land, which included the North Shore, was in fact a series of purchases from 1841 to 1854. This was due to the number of interested parties involved. On 13 April 1841 22 Maori signed on behalf of the Marutuahu or Hauraki Confederacy. This included Ngati Tamatera, Ngati Whanaunga, Ngati Maru and Ngati Paoa. On 31 May 1841 Patuone of Ngapuhi, whose wife was Ngati Paoa, signed a separate settlement, while on 29 June 1841 Na Tautari and five others began the settlement of Ngati Whatua interests in the area. On 3 January 1842 four other Ngati Whatua chiefs settled. There were further settlements into the early 1850's for particular parcels of land north of the North Shore, and included Te Kawerau, Ngati Whatua, Ngati Paoa and Ngai Tai (specifically Rangitoto).
Further Information regarding the impact of the Mahurangi Purchase can be found here PDF
"The Crown, Māori and Mahurangi 1840-1881" - (Barry Rigby for The Waitangi Tribunal) PDF