The Chief and the Empire by Eugene Bingham

Te Pahi was a highly respected and revered Māori rangatira who lived in the Bay of Islands at the turn of the 19th century. In The Chief and the Empire, award-winning storyteller Eugene Bingham (Pākeha, Ngāpuhi) has written a riveting account of his life.

When crews of whaling ships sought a safe harbour, to replenish their supplies and to make repairs, Te Pahi showed manaakitanga to these strangers. He also understood how trade could benefit his community, so he welcomed the opportunity to trade with them in exchange for goods such as iron, which was highly valued by Māori.

An adventurous and farsighted leader, he was the first high-ranking Māori to travel overseas to Sydney to meet with Philip Gidley King, the Governor of New South Wales, in 1805. King had heard of Te Pahi, his fair and reliable trading arrangements, and his provision of a safe anchorage for visiting ships. He had been sending him gifts. Te Pahi formed an excellent relationship with him rangatira ki te rangatira, leader to leader, diplomat to diplomat, and stayed with him and his family at Government house for several months.

Thirsty for knowledge about Te Ao Pākehā, he became curious to find out more about the British Justice system and attended a court hearing. He was appalled that four prisoners were sentenced to death by hanging just for allegedly stealing some pork! He begged the Governor for clemency on their behalf. Bingham has done a considerable amount of research to trace the circumstances leading up to this crime and whether Te Pahi’s heartfelt and impassioned plea was successful, which I found fascinating. 

By the time he left Sydney, he had become a celebrity and was showered with gifts. King presented him with a full British naval uniform, a tiny house that would be the first permanent European building in Aotearoa, and a silver medal that the Governor had specially commissioned and inscribed for him. This was the first state gift to be presented to a person from Aotearoa, in recognition of Te Pahi’s rangatiratanga

After his return home, a great misfortune befell Te Pahi. He was wrongly blamed for instigating the deadly attack on the British ship the Boyd. Eugene Bingham has used his considerable investigative talents to delve into how this terrible injustice came about and who ordered the dreadful retribution which followed. 

Te Pahi’s settlement was invaded and he was murdered. Its inhabitants fled or were killed (including women and children). His whare was ransacked, and his precious taonga, including his medal, was taken as booty by the invaders. The medal was lost sight of for over 200 years! 

The consequence for those of his descendants who survived the attack was devastating. They lost their land and livelihood as the scene of conflict was now wāhi tapu, so food could no longer be grown there. And the mamae, the hurt and grief they felt in their hearts at the grave injustice done to Te Pahi was carried by generation after generation. But his mana remains visible in their pursuit of justice, and the ongoing struggle for fair settlement of Treaty claims.

Eugene Bingham is a great storyteller. His meticulously researched account of the life of Te Pahi is a compelling read,, but it is also a way of retelling Te Pahi’s story through a Māori lens. For over 100 years colonial history was written from a European perspective. In The Chief and the Empire, he has endeavoured to redress the balance and to tell Te Pahi’s story from the perspective of his uri, his people and Te Ao Māori.  

Eugene Bingham writes how it ‘forces us to confront the tangled beginnings of colonisation in Aotearoa New Zealand: the possibilities of partnership alongside the realities of betrayal. It is a story of justice sought and denied, of mana challenged yet enduring, of rangatiratanga.’

The Chief and the Empire has been published at an opportune time. So many Pākeha, too, are hungry to learn more about Māori history as it was not part of the curriculum when they were at school. So, I am sure it will find an appreciative audience, which it richly deserves.

Lyn Potter

Allen & Unwin