Letter from Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi Te Waharoa to Edward Shortland.

Letter from Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi Te Waharoa to Edward Shortland, 1 May 1866.

1866

1866

Shortland Papers, MS 599/ Part 1

Hocken Library.

Once the art of writing was mastered, Maori became prolific correspondents writing to each other and to the Colonial Government. These letters were often used to express anger and frustration at the policies that were being instigated by the new governing powers, especially those that bought about the loss of ancestral lands. This is a letter written by Matene Te Whiwhi to Edward Shortland, 10 November 1863. Te Whiwhi's letter is a narration of events informing Shortland of the meetings he has attended with other influential Maori leaders in the Otaki and Wellington region to discuss land issues.