Centenary proclaims THEbutpresentevent North is 100 years that Palmerston old, this is important only in the history books

of the pakeha. To the Maori people of the Manawatu, the date 1871 is of no significance, because history is measured in terms of ancestry and generations, and not in years and dates. Did not the famed Whatonga himself live in the Manawatu? Was it not his descendants who lived and died here generation after generation? And who sold the land on which Palmerston North was built? None other than the people of Rangitane.

The Rangitane People

ETHER

SERVE

MANAWA
YEARS
^ ah Ttopwoods are-exlr&fdy proud of our Oily - ihsprogress over tna past 100 years - and its kobes

To use a Maori expression, the Rangitane people are the tangata whenua of the City of Palmerston North. They are the "people of the land", the original owners, the bestowers of local place names and tradition. Their history stretches back immeasurably further than the year 1871. Where did the Rangitane people come from? The answer is found in the ancient lullahy sung by Te Rangitakoru to his daughter: . Ka Ko Ka Ko Manu, e hine, te waka i a Ruatea Kurahaupo, iri mai taua i runga i Aotea te waka i a Turi

You floated, o daughter, in the canoe of Ruatea The "Kurahaupo" And you came also in "Aotea" The canoe of Turi. The "Kurahaupo" and the "Aotea" are the canoes which brought the ancestors of the Rangitane people across the great ocean of Kiwa to the land now called New Zealand. Where did these canoes sail from? "From Tawhiti (afar), from Hawaiki (the
homeland"), say the songs of old, although

jor llu^fuhirc
I 1 a're, proud, too, TO leave been, assoclcied wvtk~ andkeetdy utter&sied'uv -Uce, ofraLftersibn, fiortk,

the scientists of today believe that Hawaiki was situated in the Cook and Society Island groups of Eastern Polynesia. When did the canoes come to New Zealand? "In the days of your ancestors Whatonga, Ruatea, and Turi," say the traditions of old, although some European scholars have tried to fix precise dates by counting' the number of generations appearing on the whakapapa (genealogies) of the various tribes descended from the canoes. But whakapapa were not compiled as objective records for scientific research, and they do not readily conform to a time-scale of history.

Photograph

courtesy

P.N.

Public

Library.

Hoani Meihana Te Rangiotu. Chief of the Rangitane Tribe during the late 19th century. This picture was taken from a portrait by Gottfried Lindauer about 1880. Te Rangiotu was a chief of the tribe who encouraged the peaceful development of the Manawatu district. He promoted Christianity, developed Maori trade and agriculture, and assisted the Government to purchase the large block of land on which the city of Palmerston North now stands. He died in 1898, aged about 80 years, and was buried at the settlement of Rangiotu. which commemorates his name.

Not Surprising
It is not surprising, therefore, that different scholars reach different conclusions, and while some believe that the canoes arrived about 600 years ago, others maintain that they could have landed 800 or more years ago. Archaeological evidence indicates that Polynesians were well established in New Zealand more than 1000 years ago, but whether these early inhabitants held ancestral traditions similar to the present-day Maori is not known. The important fa-ct is that the ancestors associated with the "Kurahaupo" and "Aotea" canoes must have arrived at some period in time, for are not the people of Rangitane living proof of their arrival? Let us, t h e r e f o r e , put aside all thoughts of rational scientific inquiry and delve briefly into the realm of Rangitana myth and tradition.

forilie,past 6vyears, and look forward lo ccnirikuiuuf still furbn&r

'

ii

The "Kurahaupo" landed at a little bay called Nukutaurua, on Mahia Peninsula, and Whatonga moved southward and settled at Heretaunga, near the present town of Hastings. Whatonga had two wives, Hotuwalpara (the mother of Tara) and Reretua (the mother of Tautoki). Hotuwaipara seems to have been a woman of turbulent temper and in order to escape from her sharp tongue Whatonga set out to explore the southern portion of the North Island. In doing so he discovered the Wairarapa, Wellington, a n d Manawatu districts and partitioned them between hia sons. The eldest son, Tara, was given tho land around Wellington and this is why the Maori name for Wellington Harbour la Te Whanganul-a-Tara ("the great harbour of Tara"). The youngest son, Tautoki, was given the east coast from Taradale to Masterton and the west coast from Rangitikei to Waikanae. The boundary between the two territories extended from the soiithern tip of Kapiti Island in a straight line across the mainland of tha North Island to the east, coast.

The Horowhenua men r e f u s e d to accept an offer of hospitality and started to run, throwing away the basket contwining1 the head BO as to lighten their load. The guilty secret was discovered, the murderers were pursued and several t>f them were slaughtered. Those who

Tangata Whenua Of Palmerston North

escaped to safety over tha Manawatu River heard one of their adversaries hurl forth the insult "Mau upoko ma" ("head carriers") and the term soon became a derisive name for all those people living in the Horowhenua district. To the north of the Rangitane people there lived the Ngati Apa, a tribe which traced its descent from Ruatea of the "Kurahaupo" canoe. These people lived along the banks of the Rangitikei River, but they also tried to take possession of land bordering the Oroua River and many battles were fought between Ngati Apa and Rangitane. On one occasion, at a fight in the Pohangina Valley, Rangitane were victorious, but they were so keen on capturing a certain Ngati Apa chief that they allowed some of his followers to escape. The prisoners were set to work preparing ovens in which they were to be cooked. When at last everything was ready and the victors had lined up for their haka of triumph, a Ngati Apa force summoned by the escapees fell on them and it was the Rangitane themselves who were consigned] to the ovens prepared by and for their prisoners. On another occasion the Ngati Apa attacked a settlement near the site of the Awapuni Racecourse and it is claimed that there were 1000 Rangitane casualties in this battle. However, the word mano (thousand) is probably used in the sense of meaning "a great number". This battle took place when the Rangitane chief Te Awe Awe (father of Peeti Te Awe Awe) and many of his finest warriors were visiting relatives on the east coast, and on their return they were enraged to discover the slaughter that had taken place. Reinforcements were therefore summoned from the east coast and the Rangitane war party delivered a crushing blow to their opponents at the battle of "Turaki-awatea", which was fought near Turakina. The Ngati Apa were thoroughly defeated and 26 ovens were needed to cook the bodies of their dead warriors.
0 EVENING STANDARD CENTENARY Continued on 13. Page 12

IK tha d*welopnuu4t&progress (four ut wonderful, Liu/ Luears Utah lie, akecui. u

Origin Of Name

K/c/ous Fighting
The place where tho murderers mei the fishing party was near Himatangi, a pl&cename which ha an interesting origin and meaning. "Hi" means "to fish" ami "Matangi" ia the namo of a famous Rangitajw ancestor who journeyed to the Manawatu from tho Kast Coast and settled near the place which now bears his name Several of his friends and relatives came from the East Coast to visit, him, but some were waylaid and devoured by a ferocious monster known as a taniwha, who lived in a lake near the Manawatu. River. Matangi decided that this monster must be destroyed, so a flax-fibre noose, attached to stout ropes, was suspended across a gap in the sandhills and Matangi and 12 of his bravest warriors set out to lure the monster into the trap. By performing a war dance on the edge of the lake and by shouting insults at the taniwha they provoked tho monster to chase them to where the trap was laid When the taniwha entered the noose. Matangi's warriors heaved on the ropes and tightened the noose around the monster's body, holding it secure until it could be. killed. To commemorate the luring forth and capture of the taniwha th locality was named Hi-matangl

Palmershon Jvortlt
-For aivina us the opportunity to servej/ou over tkesepask 6GueafS- andjvr Uceprivilege orconiUvuUta to do SOUL
years

HOPWOODS
Broadway thru to main 5t. Palmerston Horth,
J 0 - E V E N I N G STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY. MARCH 13. 1971.

The Rangitane tribe takes its namo from an ancestor who lived in the Hawke's Bay and Manawatu districts many generations ago. His full name was Tane-nul' a-rangl ("the great male of the heavens") aind Rangl-tane is an abbreviation of this name. The origin of the name lies deep m ancient Maori mythology, for Tane-nui-arangi was named after a famed ancestral god who separated the earth ("papa") from the sky ("rangi") during the creation of the world. This mythological Tane-nui-a-rangi (who Is also known as Tane-mahuta to some tribes) was lh greatest off-spring of the union between Papa and Rangi and was the male forcd responsible for the creation of many form* of plant and animal life including the creation of the first female, whose nanw was Hineuahu-one ("earth-formed maid") The union of Tane and Hine produced the human line of descent, so the name of Tane-nui-a-rangl is of great importance and antiquity and should be a source of pride to all members of the Rangitana tribe. Let us return, however, to the historical Tane-nui-a-rangi of New Zealand and trace something of his immediate ancestry. He was a grandson of Whatonga, one of the four chiefs who commanded the "Kurahaupo" canoe on its long voyage from Hawaiki to New Zealand. The other three chiefs were Ruatea, who was steerman, Popoto, who was stationed in the centre of the canoe, and Taumauri, who was navigator.

Sub Tribes
Tautoki was the father of Tane-nul-arangi, whose descendants gradually spread throughout the Manawatu, dividing the land amongst themselves as they grew in number. The principal hapu (sub-tribes) of the Manawatu were Ngati Te'Rangltepaia (whose territory extended from the vicinity of Palmerston North to Rangiotu), Ngati Hlneaute (between Palmerston North and the Manawatu Gorge), Ngati Mairehau (Fitzherbert West), Ngati Here (Bunnythorpe), Ngati Te Rangiaranakl (Kopane), and Hamua (Horowhenua). This tojst-named hapu was later known aa Muaupoko, but the correct spelling should be Mau-upoko, which means "head carriers". This n a m e originated from an incident when some of the men from Horowhenua. murdered a chief named Hanebane, who resided at Kaimatarau. They placed the head of the old man In a basket and were returning home when they met a party of Ngati Hineaute and Ngati Te Rangltepaia people, who were fishing for eels.

Maoridom

SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY. M A R C H

1971-j-J

Continued from Page I I

These movements were interpreted as meaning that the slain Ngati A.pa were calling- for revengo and in order that they should not be heard their bodicTs were burnt. The days of military glory for Hangitane were shortlived, however, for during the 1820s the Manawatu r e g i o n was invaded by hostile tribes from the north and both Ngati Apa and Kangitane suffered badly at tho hands of the. newcomers. The man moat prominently associated with this invasion is Te Rauparaha, the warrior chief of the Ngati Toa tribe. Iror centuries his people had lived round the shores of Kawhia Harbour, but by 1820 their security was being threatened by tribes from the South Auckland and Wai kato districts. Some of these e n e m y tribes had obtained musketa and gunpowder by trading tlax fibre with Kuroyean:; and Te Kaup;iraba realised that his people must do. the same if they were to survive. Kawhia \v:is not favourably situated for close contint with Kurojjcans, so the: Ngati Toa migrated south to the Manawatu coast, which possessed abundant supplies of flax and was adjacent to European whaling activities in Cook Strait. Thi.H migration took place about 1822-23 and resulted in Ngati Toa indicting military defeats on tho Miiaujioko inhabitants of Horowhenua anil taking possession of the island strongbold irt Kapiti, In order to secure further allies and consolidate his conquests. To Ilau para ha Invited his Ngati Haukawa relatives to migrate from their home at ATa.ungat.au. tari, in the Wa.ikato district. This they nvftttuallv did and between iiju< 182,'> und 18.W Ngali Uaukawa moved south i" a series of migrations and settled along he coast between liangitikei and Otnki

CML
The Chairman, Directors and Management of
' # Photograph courtesy P.N. Public Library.

Military Defeat
For ina.ny years unfriendly relations existed b e t w e e n Ngati Kaukawa and Kangitane and the oH.Hie'r inhabitants suffered military defeat on several occasions One battle scorns to have licen fought near Palmerston North, on the riverside flat now occupied by the Grass-lands Division of the DSIK. An account of I hi* battle was recorded by Mr J. O. Batchelar,

The late Mr W. K. Te Awe Awe, former Paramount Chief of the Rangitane Tribe, stands proudly beside a treasured tribal heirloom, the flag presented to the tribe by Queen Victoria in recognition of Rangitane loyalty during the Maori wars of the 1860s. Mr Te Awe Awe is holding another ancient heirloom, the large greenstone mere known as "Tane-nui-a-rangi". Mr Te Awe Awe died suddenly on January 3 this year, acted 74. river for 14 days, and at last, found In confirmation of this account, Mr of Palmerston North, who farmed the us in full strength. We were duly told Batchelar later ploughed up many bones riverside flat for many years. During tho that the attack would be at daylight and several stone tools at the place Hoani 1880s or 1890s he was visited by a Rangion the morrow, so worked the night Meihana had pointed out as the site of tane chief n a m e d Hoani Meihana Te through at our defences. Two hundred the battle. One skull he unearthed had Hangiotu, who narrated the following: men, armed with mere and taiaha, a clean cut across the back, evidently "When I was a suckling, my peoj>l< broke the silence as they disembarked the result of a blow with a sharp stone lived a mile below the (Fitzherbert/* from their canoes before the day. weapon. There was the usual exchange of combridge at the south side of the river The Ngati Raukawa tribe took possespliments in the form of the war dance, amid a beautiful grove of karaka, on sion of the lower reaches of the Manaaccompanied by that strange outburst the rich flat. Our Rangitane warwatu River and the remnant of the Rangiof the pliant tongue. The hand-toriors were paying a friendly visit t tane people were pushed inland to the hand conflict lasted six hours, when Heretaunga, w h e n a Ngatiraukawa heavily-forested land east of the Oroua but eight of the Rangitane fighting messenger crossed the river in a cano River. In this area they kept their flrea men were left. They and the women to inquire what day would suit us burning and thus retained their right of fled to the bush. More than 200 lay to be attacked. In the absence of ownership to the land. When the first with cleft skulls. My mother carried our best men, it would have been a Europeans explored i n 1 a n d Manawatu me in a pikau on her back and there serious breach of the chivalrous rules they found the Palmerston North district was no pause until all had reached of Maori warfare to take advantage, still in the possession of the descendants another r e m n a n t of the tribe at of the circumstance1. So every mornof Tane-nui-a-rangi. Rangiotu. ing this emissary of war crossed tha

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I 9EVENING STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY. MARCH 13. 197). EVENING STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY. MARCH 13. 1971. j 3

HE coming of the European opened a new chapter in the history of the Manawatu, for the fair-skinned newcomers from abroad introduced a culture and technology which made a tremendous impact upon the Maori people and the natural landscape.

mmmmmaimm
Some senior citizens in the Manawatu may remember the occasion the Straw Hat Scramble on October 2, 1902, which marked the grand opening of Millar & Giorgi's store in Palmerston North. Maybe a few of them took part in it as children. Who knows there might even be one or two of the original hats still lying around in dusty attics somewhere!
If you think you may have one of our 1902 "Scramble" Straw Hats in your possession, we'd be delighted to hear front you. Bring it along to the store (cobwebs and all!) and have a chat. If it's one of the original models we'll be glad to exchange it for a brand new felt hat. Happy hat hunting!

First to come were the traders and the missionaries, small in number but mighty in influence. They introduced European clothing, tools, money, and religion, and paved the way for Government officials to purchase huge blocks of land from the Maori people. After the land had been surveyed into townships and farms it was sold to thousands of land-hungry Europeans, who attacked the bush-covered landscape with axe, saw, and fire. Pasture replaced forest, railways and roads replaced tracks, and the bush clearing of Papaioea was transformed into the township of Palmerston North. Friday, December 6, 1839. "At noon turned inland over an extensive tract of sand, the wind high and the sand flying in all directions. Walked on the bank of the Manawatu, a large river with vast quantities of driftwood and heavy timber on the banks. Heavy trees 50 feet underground standing out in an horizontal position. The wood was perfectly sound. This river will doubtless be of importance at some future day as it appeared deep and the country round very fine and rich. Crossed the river in a canoe and brought up amongst the fern." This entry in the journal of the Rev. Henry Williams is the earliest - known written reference to the name Manawatu, and is also the first recorded description of the Manawatu River. Mr Williams was a missionary of the Church of England and was returning to his home at the Bay of Islands, after having assisted the establishment of a new mission station at Waikanae

While staying overnight with Captain Lewis, Mr Wakefield met an English trader named Jack Duff, who had recently returned from an expedition up the Manawatu River. Wakefield records that "he had ascended the river as far as a whaleboat could go (about fifty miles, according to his calculations) from the mouth, through country of the same level and fertile character, and abounding with the finest timber.

A Settlement Is Born
One of these lay preachers was a Rangitane chief named Te Rangibtu, who lived at the Puketotara pa on the north bank of the Manawatu River, near the junction with the Oroua River. His baptismal name was Hoani Meihana (the Maori form of John Mason) and this, name was probably chosen to commemorate the Rev. John Mason, a close friend .<f Octavius Hadfield, and the first missionary stationed in the Wanganui district. Mr Mason was accidentally drowned in the Turakina River in 1843. It is interesting to note that the Rangiotu family has produced four generations of Anglican lay preachers. Hoani Meihana was the first to hold the office, followed by his son-in-law (Hare Rakena Te Awe Awe) and then his grandson (Manawaroa Te Awe Awe. Manawaroa's son was the late Mr Wiremu Te Awe Awe (Bill Larkins). who was a well-known lay preacher and church organist for many years.

mile downstream from the present Shannon bridge, and was a well-known resident of that locality for about 30 years. He then moved down river to near Foxton, and subsequently settled in the Borough of Palmerston North, where he was in business as a Maori interpreter from about 1878 until his death in 1897

"Having obtained a canoe and native guides, he proceeded two or three days' journey higher up, over numerous rapids and shallows, and through a gorge where the river formed a cataract between the cliffy extremities of the two mountain ranges. He described a numerous population as dwelling below the gorge, and complained much of their rude and savage manners. He even attributed his safety from plunder or outrage to the company of his native woman, who was related in some distant way to the tribe."

Mr Hartley is chiefly remembered, however, as being the first European to visit the Papaeoia clearing, the site of the present City of Palmerston North. The date of this event was probably during the late 1840s, or early 1850s.

Based On Tradition
Unfprtunately, all the available details concerning Mr Hartley's visit are based solely on a family tradition recorded after his death, and over many years many imaginative details have been added to the story. Some writers have described Mr Hartley as "The Founder of Palmerston North", while others have credited him with prophetic vision concerning the future of the clearing, or with a desire to immediately start a settlement on the site.

Jack Duff is the first European known to have journeyed up the Manawatu River as far as the site of the present City of Palmerston North, and he is also the first pakeha known to have passed through the Manawatu Gorge. The date of his journey must have been about July, 1840. The Maoris with "savage manners" he encountered near the Gorge would be members of the Rangitane tribe, still deeply suspicious of anyone who came from the territory occupied by their Ngati Raukawa enemies.

Not The First

It is interesting to note that many large logs, similar to those described in Mr Williams' journal can still be seen protruding from the southern bank of the Manawatu River opposite the settlement of Foxton Beach, so the missionary appears to have crossed the river in this vicinity. He camped the night on the north bank and then proceeded to Rangitikei. It is unlikely that Mr Williams was the first European to visit the Manawatu for whaling stations had been established on Kapiti Island during the early 1830s and whalers and traders almost certainly explored the nearby coast and rivers before 1839. When Mr E. J. Wakefield, of the New Zealand,Company, visited the Manawatu in August, 1840, he reported that a Captain Lewis was building a 30-ton schooner on the bank of the Manawatu River, about 15 miles upriver from its mouth. Captain Lewis was a whaler from Kapiti and was probably not the first person to take advantage of Manawatu timber for shipbuilding purposes.

In the same year that Duff's journey took place, the Rangitane people were also visited by their first missionary, the Reverend Octavius Hadfield, of the Church of England. He arrived in the Kapiti district with the Rev. Henry Williams In 1839 and established a mission station near the mouth of the Waikanae River. Early in 1840 he paid his first visit to the Manawatu, travelling about 40 miles up the river to a Maori settlement named Te Rewarewa (in the locality now known a3 Moutoa, upstream from Shannon). Later the same year he went further inland and ascended the Oroua River for about 10 miles, probably visiting the settlement of Awahuri.

Hoani Meihana Te Rangiotu was also associated with the development of commerce in the district. During the 1840s and 1850s he encouraged his people to trade with the pakeha settlers living further down the river, and quantities of pigs, potatoes, wheat, and flax fibre were canoed downstream to trading stations situated between Moutoa and Foxton. In exchange for this produce, the Maori people received European clothing, blankets, ornaments, tools, tobacco, pipes, and even the occasional horse and cow.

In reality, Mr Hartley'3 visit was of no historical significance. At the time of his visit the Papaeoia clearing was an isolated, and virtually inaccessible, clearing in a part of the district where no Government or private body was interested in immediately establishing a European settlement. There is no evidence that Mr Hartley reported the location of the clearing to any Government official, and his visit had no connection whatsoever with the later surveying and settlement of Palmerston North.

Sympathetic
Mr Hadfield found the Maori people very sympathetic toward Christianity and anxious to learn more about the "rongopai" ("good news") of the Gospel. Church buildings were soon erected in ueveral settlements and the most pious of the new converts were appointed lay preachers, with the responsibility of conducting religious services and teaching their fellow tribesmen.

By 1850 there were probably about 5C Europeans living on the banks of the lower Manawatu River, chiefly employed in trading, spinning ropes from flax fibre, and farming sheep and cattle. A steam-driven flourmill was also in operation and was kept busy grinding supplies of wheat grown by the Europeans and the Maoris. Flour, ropes, timber, pigs, potatoes, and other produce were shipped to Wellington for sale, being carried on a number of small sailing ships which traded regularly with the settlers scattered between Wanganui and Wellington.

The "founding" of Palmerston North did not take place on any one date, or because of any one event, but occurred gradually over a period of several years. In the following pages we will detail how the settlement was conceived in the mind of a surveyor in 1859, given life as an embryo by a Provincial Government during the 1860s, and was finally born with the help of the Central Government in 1871.

V9

t_J/c%&&' our store is still on the same site in the Square, but the actual premises have changed out of all recognition. Five years ago, due to an ever-increasing volume of business, we carried out extensive renovations. Nearly $44,000 worth of improvements have transformed Millar & Giorgi into one of the most modern menswear establishments in the country. And in addition to top

quality Men's and Boys' Wear from New Zealand's leading manufacturers we stock a wide range of Ladies', Men's and Children's Footwear, including direct imports of famous name English shoes.
Naturally we're very happy that we can

One of the early settlers on the banks of the Manawatu River was a man named Stephen Charles Hartley, who came to the district about 1846. He went into business as a trader and ropemaker at Pohuetangi, on the south bank of the river about a

BELOW: The Manawatu River was the gateway to the district, and also a highway leading from the coast to the interior. European settlement gradually spread from the sandy aoast to the blue bush-covered hills of inland Manawatu. This watercolour of the river at Foxton was painted by R. G. Palmer in 1879, and the original is now owned by the Palmerston North Public Library.

now offer more convenient shopping facilities and a wider choice of merchandise.

ay back in 1902, Palmerston North was already a thriving town. Cyclopedia of New Zealand described it as 'the largest and most important inland town in the North Island and the Chicago cf New Zealand by reason of the large weekly sales of livestock held there'. The Manawatu

But it also gives us tremendous satisfaction that we are still able to give our many customers in the Manawatu District the

same high standard of personal service which has characterised our store since

that day we gave straw hati away.

Evening Standard and Pohangina Gazette of October I that year consisted of just four pages; three composing a very mixed bag of local advertising including an announcement about the opening of Millar & Giorgi's menswear store in the Square, and one page of local and world cable news. The Square, Palmerston North.

EVENING STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY. MARCH 13. 1971.

EVENING STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY. MARCH 13. 1 9 7 1 J

nAPAEOIA first came to the notice of Government officials in 1859, when a 32-year-old Scottish surveyor realised the importance of the clear-" ing and conceived the idea of laying out a township on the site. The surveyor was John Tiffin Stewart, whose name is commemorated in Mt Stewart (Manawatu County) and Stewart Crescent (Palmerston North).
J. T. Stewart was born in Rothesay, Scotland, in 1827. After qualifying as a surveyor and civil engineer he emigrated to Australia in 1852, and came to New Zealand three years later. In September, 1858, he entered the service of the Central Government, being appointed an assistant surveyor in the Native Land Purchase Department at a salary of 250 a year. At this time the Government was negotiating with the Ngati Raukawa and Rangitane Tribes for the purchase of land in the Manawatu district. The ownership of the coastal area, near the mouth of the river, clearly lay with Ngati Raukawa, but the ownership of the inland area (east of the Oroua River) was in some doubt. Did it belong to Ngati Raukawa by right of recent conquest, or to Rangitane by right of ancient occupation? The Native Land Purchase Department feared that there would be a long argument between the two tribes over this matter, but in September, 1858, the chiefs of Ngati Raukawa magnanimously forfeited all claim, to inland Manawatu and consented to the people of Rangitane selling the land.

Survey Of The Town

"Native produce and potatoes, etc., could be got at the several small Maori settlements along the river banks of the Manawatu and along the Oroua as far up as Te Awahuri (a few miles below where Feilding now isK In October, 1858, Mr Stewart started a survey of the boundaries of this block, proceeding up the Manawatu River to the Gorge, and then mapping the Oroua and Pohangina Rivers from their mouths to the Ruahine Range. The following details of this survey were recorded by Mr Stewart in 1902, and are quoted from a handwritten manuscript now preserved in the Palmerston North Public Library: "There were then stockaded pus at Puketotara, near the junction of the Oroua with the Manawatu, and at Maraetarata, on the bank of the river near Awapuni, and at Raukawa, on the south side of the river between this and the Gorge; also at Te Awahuri on the Oroua . . . . There were then no Maori settlements at Pohangina, nor any on the Oroua on its long course above Te Awahuri."

No Roads
"As the country was nearly all dense bush, and to cut traverse lines through it would have taken a very long time, the surveyor adopted the river margins for survey purposes, crossing from side to side as was expedient to get easy lines for survey. This was especially the case in the Pohangina River and along the upper course of the Oroua River, where one side might give a good line over the shingle beds and scrubby river bed flats, while on the opposite side the water washed against high banks and cliffs. "Boots and shoes gave way in this water and gravel travelling and the party, except the Maoris, whose feet were stoneproof, were reduced to wearing sandals made of the dry leaves of the ti (or cabbage) tree, or to covering their feet with pig skins, with the hairy side out. laced over the remains of their shoes. "There were, of course, no roads, only winding and narrow half-cleared native tracks, and a canoe accompanying the survey was a necessity. Maoris were chiefly employed on the survey, and they, and the natives generally, were -most trustworthy and favourable in their dealings No provisions were carried by the survey party, except the necessities of tea, sugar, flour, and rice. The meat supply was got from wild pigs, pigeons, and eels. There were no wild cattle in the bush then, but wild pigs were numerous and about one in five was good for food.

Mr Stewart's reminiscences fail to mention the mosquitoes encountered by the survey party, but his field books (now preserved in the offices of the Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington) contain graphic evidence of the extent of the mosquito nuisance. Many pages of these books are spotted with the squashed bodies of the insects, and there are several marginal comments reading "mosquitoes bad". On one occasion the party was even forced to retreat from a bush area near the Oroua River "on account of mosquitoes".

I
John Tiffin Stewart, the surveyor who chose the site of Palmerston North, and laid out the original township. Fitzioy Streets and returned to the river through the bush-covered Hokowhitu area, emerging on the riverbank in the vicinity of the eastern end of the present Jickoll Street. Mr Stewart was quick to realise tho advantages of the clearing for European settlement. It was a flat, open area, standing at the centre of a district covered by valuable stands of timber. It was close enough to the riverbank to be accessible :o river traffic, and yet was far enough inland to be free from flooding. It was also situated on the western side of the river, which was the side most suitable for the construction of a roadway from coastal to inland Manawatu. When Mr Stewart described the Te Ahua-Turanga Block to his superiors in 1859 he made special mention of Papaeoia, stating that it would form "a good site for a township", and on his detailed survey map he showed the location of the clearing and noted that it would be "a conceived the idea of the settlement now good site for a village reserve". Thus wast known as the City of Palmerston North.

Earliest Record
These field books also contain the earliest record of the Papaeoia clearing. On November 18, 1858, when the survey party was on the riverbank about one mile upstream from the city of the present Awatapu golf links, Mr Stewart noted that "there is a large clearing in. fthel bush some way in, probably half a milt- or so." On this occasion, however, he had no opportunity to visit the site, but in December, 1859, he surveyed the boundaries of the Hokowhitu Maori Reserve and entered the eastern end of the clearing along the line of Fitzroy Street. He found himself in a "large clear space" named "Papaeoia", covered with fern and grass. He sketched the location of the clearing in his field book, noting that it stretched westward "for over a mile" and that the surrounding bush contained "plenty of totara trees". He then placed a survey peg in the ground at what is now the corner of East and

Way Open
The way was now open for Government action, so the District Land Purchase Commissioner, Mr W. N. Searancke, met with the chiefs of Rangitane and an agreement was reached to purchase about 250,000 acres of land lying between the Oroua River and the Ruahine-Tararua ranges. The northern boundary of this block was in the vicinity of Apiti and the southern boundary was near the locality now known as Linton. The name of this block of land was Te Ahu-a-Turanga ("the exhuming of Turanga"), in reference to an ancient Rangitane ancestor named Turanga-i-mua, who was the son of Turi of the "Aotea" canoe. Turanga died in the Manawatu district and was buried on the Ruahine Range (near the Manawatu Gorge), but some of his relatives later exhumed his bones and took them back to his original home at Patea, in Taranaki.

The Manawatu-Oroua

Electric Power

Board

has played an important part in the city's expansion and is geared to meet the city and district's ever-growing demands for the future.

PAST BOARD CHAIRMEN

PRESENT BOARD CHAIRMAN

I
1

3E7D

Mr J. A. Nash.

1921-1931

Mr O. McElroy, 1932-1933

Mr C. G. Dernier. 1933-1936

Mr R. G. Linklater 1965

s t a l l Lta
Palmerston North's reputation as a wide-awake city didn't just happen. After 100 years of progress, commerce and industry are
*

agraatijaar
constantly expanding. The surrounding farmlands are achieving ever higher peaks of

I.

Mr J. Boyce. 1937-1952

Mr W. McKay. 1953-1958

Mr W. R. Hoperoft, 1959-1964

efficiency and production. Palmerston North is thriving because its inhabitants want it to thrive. That same spirit will carry it to even greater heights in the years ahead. Union Travel will be in Palmerston

The M.O.E.P.B. was established in 1921 the first meeting of the board was held in February, 1922. A loan proposal of $1,000,000 to finance reticulation of the area was put before ratepayers of the district on August 21, 1922, and carried by I 144 votes to 96. Power at I l,000v was received from the Mangahao hydro station in December, 1924, and consumers in the first year of operation numbered 2465 and the revenue was $12,536. Due to the tremendous growth of demand for electric power, the capacity of the board's main feeder lines has been increased to 33,000 volts and consumers now number 13,400 with revenue of $3,450,000. The capital expended on the board's undertaking is now $5,500,000.

We Are Pleased To Have This Connection With You

The board maintains a fully equipped consumer advisory service and is able to give advice on all matters electrical. Our showroom carries stocks of ranges heaters refrigerators and other appliances to help you live better electrically.

7
Board's area: 1301 sq. mis Miles of line: 990 No. of consumers: 13,481

North to celebrate the bi-centenary. What a great year that will be.

L
5

PLUG INTO PLEASURE WITH

UN/ON TRAVEL
UNION STEAM SHIP CO. OF N.Z. LTD. 154 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North

Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board, 402-404 Church Street, Palmerston North.

IEVENING STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT, SATURDAY. MARCH 13, 1971. EVENING STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT, SATURDAY. MARCH 13, 1971.

N July 23, 1864, the Rangitane Tribe formally transferred the Ahu-a-Turanga block of land to "Queen Victoria, Her heirs and assigns as a lasting possession absolutely and for ever and ever". This block contained about 250,000 acres of the inland Manawatu district and included Papaioea, the site of the City of Palmerston North. The sale took place at the Raukawa Pa, on the south bank of the Manawatu River, about three miles downstream from the present Ashhurst Bridge. The Deed of Sale was signed by 143 members of the Rangitane Tribe and the price received for the land was 12,000. The sale of Te Ahu-a-Turanga opened the way for European settlement and ir. 1865 the Provincial Government of Wellington decided to lay out a township on part of the block. The Chief District Surveyor of the Province was asked to select a suitable, site, and without any hesitation he recommended the Papaioea area. The reason for this immediate recommendation was the fact that the Chief District Surveyoi was none other than John Tiffin Stewart, the man who had mapped the Papaioea clearing in 1859 and had first realised its possibilities as a settlement site.

Land Sale, Settlement

confusion, and the residents of the Manawatu township sent a petition to the Wellington Provincial Government asking for a change of name, but no suitable alternative could be found. In 1871 the postal authorities added the suffix "North" to the name and six years later this version became the official designation of tho new borough.

Larger Area
The original Township of Palmerston covered a much larger area than the later borough and the present city. More than 200 town and suburban sections, ranging in size from one rood to 40 acres, were laid out within the Papaioea clearing, but a large number of rural sections (between 40 and 300 acres in size) were also surveyed in the surrounding bushland. These rural sections extended eastward to beyond Whakarongo, westward to beyond Longburn, and northward to beyond Newbury. The total area of the township was about 58,000 acres, compared with the present city's size of 10,600 acres. The Wellington Provincial Government established the Township of Palmerston with the idea of encouraging farmers to take up land and bring it into production, but this idea ended in failure. The Provincial Treasury had insufficient finance to construct all-weather roads between coastal and inland Manawatu, and without adequate means of communication Palmerston was doomed to remain an isolated and under-developed district. The only means of transporting heavy goods into or out of the district was by canoe on the Manawatu River, an expensive and rather dangerous method of transport. The Government constructed a landing stage at Ngawhakarau (near the site of the present Opiki Bridge) and from that point a road (one chain in width) was cut through the bush to Papaioea. This track was supposed to serve as the main access road to Palmerston, but it was unmetalled and poorly drained and became a sea of mud during the winter. One early settler recorded that in 1868 he had to abandon his horse on the side of this road after the animal had exhausted itself by floundering through mud for several miles. Another road was cut from Papaioea to Awahuri, hut this was only 12 feet in width and was completely undrained and unmetalled. It was also virtually impassable in winter.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the Wellington Provincial Government failed to attract many settlers to the new township. When the-sections were offered for sale in' 1866 and 1867 most of the purchasers were speculators who lived in Wellington and only a handful of people took up land with the intention of settling on it. Of this handful, the majority seiecjted farms in the western portion of

HE year 1871 brought a dramatic advance in the development of Palmerston. A wave of new settlers arrived in the district, metalled roads began to replace muddy tracks, and the construction of a wooden tramway from the interior, to the coast was commenced. The first shops and factories were established in the Papaioea clearing and the Township of Palmerston began to take on the appearance of a vigorous little settlement.
What caused this sudden burst of. progress? The answer lies in the national programme of public works and immigration commenced by the Central Government of New Zealand in 1870. Acting on the recommendations of the Colonial Treasurer, Mr Julius Vogel, the Central Government borrowed large sums of money from overseas and sponsored the introduction of selected immigrants from Europe, thereby overcoming the shortage of finance and manpower which had restricted the development planned by the provincial governments. The Central Government aimed at opening up new land for settlement by creating a national network of roads and railways, and this policy greatly stimulated the economic development of many parts of the country.

It is interesting to nofo that tho engineer in charge of these public works \v:is Mr John Tittin Stewart, tho man who had earlier boon responsible for tho surveying and roading of tho Township of Palniorston. In 1870 Mr Stowait ronlpmnl. from the employ of the Wellington Province and entered tho service of tho Contra! Government. being appointed District Engineer of the Public Works Department, with headquarters at Foxton. He held this position until 18S5. when he was transferred to Wanganui. Ho retired from Government service four years later and died in Wanganui in 1913.

boon shipped from Wellington to Foxton and then slod.uod to I'alir.eiston, while the wooden framework was probably pitJKIWU by the builders at tho edge of the

Major Figure
Mr Stewart is undoubtedly one of the major figures in tho history of the Manawatu, for he not only planned the layout of most of the early settlements, but also planned and supervised the construction of the main linos of communication in tho district. He visited the site of Palmerston North when it was an unsurveyed forest clearing, and he played an important part in the development of the township from an isolated village into the centre of a network of road and railway lines.

bush clearing. Snelson's store soon became tho focal point of the small bush settlement, and by tho end of 1871 the iron store had boon replaced by a largvr wooden building, which also housed the Post Olliee and the Kcjftetry of Births, Death*, and Marriages foi several years. A replica of this wooden shop has been erected by the Palmorston Niath Centennial Association and is being used as an information centre and historical attraot'on during the centenary.

The Progress Of 1871

First Factory

Layout Plan
Mr Stewart now found himself in a position to plan the layout of the new township, for in 1865 he was placed in charge of surveying and roading the Manawatu district and in 1866 he was promoted to the office of Chief Engineer of the Province. The original streets and sections of Palmerston were laid out under Mr Stewart's direction, and it was his foresight which provided the town with its most distinctive feature, the 17-acre public reserve known as the Square. The township came into official existence on October 3, 1866, when Isaac Earl Featherston (Superintendent of the Province of Wellington) signed a proclamation defining the boundaries of "The Township of Palmerston". This name was chosen by the Provincial Council to commemorate the third Lord Palmerston (Henry John Temple), a well-known British statesman who died in 1865. The Wellington Provincial Council was apparently unaware of the fact that a "Township of Palmerston" already existed in New Zealand, for in 1864 the Otago Provincial Government had bestowed this name on a new settlement midway between Dunedin and Oamaru. In later years this duplication of names caused some

Mratoorapli courtesy P.N. Public Library.

David and Mary McEwen, pioneers who settled en a bush-covered section at Karere (now Lonabum) in 1868. The land is still owned by their descendants.

the township, in the locality then known as Karere and now named Longburn. Among these stalwart pioneers were Matthew Hamilton, David McEwen, George McEwen, Ditlev Monrad, David Rowland, James Sly, Peter Stewart and David Watson. Descendants of several of these men are still living in Manawatu today. Other settlers took up land between Whakarongo and Ashhurst, in the locality then known as Raukawa. They included John Dalrymple, William Cumming, Alfred Grammer, George Richardson and William Waugh. In the Papaioea clearing only three or four people took up semi-permanent residence. One of these was Mr Robert Menzies, who erected a small hut on his one-acre section in Rangitikei Street (near the corner of Featherston Street) and performed contracting work in the district He probably assisted the farmers of Karere and Raukawa with such work as felling bush, sawing timber, and digging

drains,

Other early residents of Papaioea were Edwin Cole and Robert Stanley, two licensees of the Palmerston Hotel. This hotel was a four or five-roomed wooden uu.luing situated in Main Street (between .Domain and Cook Streets) and has the honour of being the first commercial building in Palmerston. It was erected in 1866 and was owned by Mr Amos Burr, of Foxton. A lack of customers caused it to close down about 1868, but it was reopened by Mr Cole two years later. Mrs Cole is believed to have been the first European woman to live in Papaioea. The only other building known to have been erected in the clearing before 1871 was the survey office, which provided accommodation and storage facilities for the surveyors who laid out the township and triangulated the Manawatu district. This office appears to have consisted of a small whare and was probably the first building of any kind to be erected in Papaioea. It stood on the western side of the Square, on a Government reserve which is now Coleman Place.

First To Benefit
Manawatu was one of the first districts to benefit from this new programme ot public works, for priority was given to the construction of a properly formed and partly metalled road between the port of Foxton and the port of Napier. Work began on the western portion of this road in 1870, the first contracts being for the formation of a dray road through the sand country between Foxton and Oroua Bridge (Rangiotu). In 1871. the road was extended from Oroua Bridge to the western end of the Manawatu Gorge and in 1872 the road through the Gorge was completed. The Central Government also realised the necessity of providing an all-weather means of heavy transport between inland and coastal Manawatu, so it was decided to construct a wooden tramway from Palmerston to Foxton. This tramway, started in 1871 and completed two years later, enabled settlers and goods to ente* Palmerston and also provided an outlet for sawn timber, which was the principal export of the district for many years.

Tho year 1S71 also saw the establishment ol l'alnierston Norths iiist factory, ilic steam sawmill owned by Messrs l-Vler iUanson and Peter Batholoinow. 'i'hi's,two Scotsmen supplied the sleepers fur the wooden tramway constructed between Falmorston and Foxton, and the election Immigration was also a major part of of their sawmill laid the foundations of the Central Government's policy of national the town's industrial activity. development, and many of the labourers Other forms ol commerce and industry who constructed the Manawatu roads and established in 1871 w i w ; tramway were sponsored immigrants from First cabinetmaker: Mr H, Ames. Europe. The first of these immigrants First wheelwright: Mr C\ Urigorxon. arrived in New Zealand early In 1871 and First shoemakers: Messrs K. H('Hing were all Scandinavians, mainly from and G. Richardson. Denmark and Norway. They were allotted First tailor: Mr T. Uundcraon. bush-covered sections at Avvapuni and First blacksmith: Mr J. Jensen. Whakarongo and proved to be most inFirst boarding-house proprietor: Mr .). dustrious labourers and successful settlers. Linton. By 1874 the Scandinavians comprised First butcher: Mr B. Manson. about one-third of the total population First carpenters: Messrs F. Meyiick, F. of Palmerston North, and they were active Oak^y, J. E. Perrin. in all aspects of community life. Many First brewer: Mr A. ScisKtnor. of their descendants are still living in the city today. First medical doctor: Mr H. Spratt. In October, 1871, the Palmerston corresThe start of public works and the pondent of the "Wellington Independent" arrival of new settlers did much to newspaper reported that there was "a stimulate commerce and industry in the bustle and activity amongst our settlers Manawatu. Early in 1871 an Englishman the pioneers of civilisation in those named George Matthew Snelson opened primeval forests - that is very pleasing the first shop in Palmerston North and to witness. 'Go-ahead Palmeiston' will be began supplying groceries, clothing, and our motto, I trust, for some time to come; hardware to the road labourers and the and if you could sec the many changes local settlers. Snelson's store was situated that have taken place in so slioil a time, on the western side of the Square (on the buildings that have been ('reeled, the the site now occupied by D.I.C Ltd.) and clearings that have (icon effected, and was erected by Messrs J. E. Perrin and the roads made, you would admit that F. Oakley, the first building contractors the settlers of this locality aio deserving in Palmerston North. The store was con- of the name, for having accomplished no structed of galvanised iron, nailed to a much, with such insuperable difllotillftJM wooden frame. The sheets of iron had to contend against'

George Matthew Snelson, the first shopkeeper in Palmerston North (1871), and later the first auctioneer and land agent. He was ' also the township's first Mayor (1877).

Jn May, 1X72. tho same ooricspon.lent reported that "the district, which n year ago only numbered some half-do/.en plodding and almost broken-hearted settlers, now is peopled by upward of 300 souls. The township now presents to a stranger some appearance of civilisation, and travellers cannot but remark on the difference in Palmerston now to what it wa.s only 12 months ago."

MANAWATU MEAT & COLD STORAGE CO. LTD.

Established 1906

Wholesale & Retail Meat Distributors for 65 years and still progressing

In 35 years we will be celebrating our Centenary, but today we offer our congratulations to

SMALLGOODS BACON * HAM

18EVENING
STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT, SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1971.

Palmerston North on reaching years. their 100

EVENING STANDARD CENTENARY SUPPLEMENT, SATURDAY, MARCH 13. 19711