He was supported by most of his peers in Parliament as well as the vast majority of white New Zealanders who saw Rusden’s book as an attack on the reputation of the colony as a whole. There were no women present and John Bryce actually tried to stop the pursuit rather than taking part in the killing.īryce was furious about the way the book portrayed him and traveled to London where he successfully sued Rusden for libel. ![]() Lieutenant Bryce and Sergeant Maxwell of the Kai Iwi Cavalry dashed upon them and cut them down gleefully and with ease.” - History of New Zealand “Some women and young children emerged from a pa to hunt pigs. It’s author, George Rusden, was highly critical line of the colonial government’s relationship with Māori and in one passage it took direct aim at John Bryce, referencing his actions while leading the Kai Iwi cavalry: In 1883 a controversial book called History of New Zealand was published. George Rusden whose book, History of New Zealand, caused John Bryce to sue for libel Photo: Public Domainīut he put this work on hold to deal with a personal matter. Mounted on a white charger he personally led 1600 armed police and volunteers to arrest its leader and evict “strangers” who’d come to live in the village, which at the time was the largest Māori settlement in the country. In spite of his frequent and heated clashes with fellow politicians, Bryce eventually rose to become Native Affairs Minister in 1879 and inherited the issue of Parihaka.īryce was among those who wanted strong action taken against the leading figures of the pacifist village Te Whiti, Tohu and Tītokowaru. “He had no finesse, he had no subtlety about him at all.” “He was not popular,” explains Moyra Cooke. On four occasions he resigned in protest rather than back down from a fight. Rightly or wrongly this incident earned John Bryce a nickname among Taranaki Māori: Bryce Kōhuru - Bryce the Murderer.Įven before the Taranaki Wars John Bryce had a keen interest in politics and a reputation for arrogance and stubbornness in pursuit of his goals. Maxwell and the other troops refused and two boys were killed, aged 10 and 12. “The officers tried desperately to regain control of them … Bryce got ahead of Maxwell who was leading the charge and ordered him and the rest of his men to retire.” “And as soon as they did, they realised the Māori they were chasing were young, unarmed boys,” says Moyra Cooke. A group of Māori were spotted near a woolshed and the order was given to charge. The most infamous incident of the Kai Iwi cavalry’s ill discipline and bloodthirstiness came after their first mission on 25 November 1868. If they smell natives they follow Bryce like a pack of hounds and cut, slay and destroy the poor natives before you have time to look around you.” ![]() “A motley group of horsemen from fourteen to sixty years of age, a perfect pack of devils and most uncontrollable. A letter from Bryce's commanding officer, George Whitmore, paints a dismal picture of the unit: ![]() John Bryce was selected to lead the Kai Iwi cavalry, a militia made up of self-equipped volunteer farmers. This resulted in the formation of the Kai Iwi cavalry in 1868.” “This lead to the country people getting together to discuss how they could protect their families and protect their property. “It got very close to Whanganui and certainly through the Kai Iwi District, a lot of settlers had their houses set on fire,” Moyra Cooke says. Unfortunately that area of the country was not a particularly safe place to live at the time, either for Māori or settlers, thanks to the outbreak of the Taranaki Wars. They must have struck a good lode because when they returned they were rich enough to buy land for farming at Brunswick, near Whanganui. ![]() This incident “made a lasting impression on Bryce,” says historian Moyra Cooke, who researched John Bryce for her masters thesis.Ī few years after the end of the Hutt War John and his older brother went to Australia to become diggers in the Victorian gold rush. The story goes that he held the bugle between his knees and kept blowing until he was struck in the head and killed. A romanticised painting of bugler William Allen by Arthur McCormick Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library Reference: A-004-044ĥ0 years later John Bryce related the story of Bugler William Allen a young man who, according to popular legend, spotted a raid and continued to sound the alarm despite axe wounds to both arms.
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