Men who took up arms to fight occupy the centre stage in the history of the wars of the 1860s. They did so as fathers, husbands and sons; as members of whanau and hapu alongside wahine. Women were present in Tauranga on both sides of the conflict though their presence is often overlooked. Where might we find the women whose lives continued in the shadow of war?
Unnamed woman, 1864, Horatio Gordon Robley, A-080-002, Alexander Turnbull Library
We do not know the name of the woman in the painting above. She was living in the Tauranga district in 1864 where she was painted by H. Gordon Robley (1840-1930) and simply identified as belonging to Ngaiterangi. The painting is one of a large number Robley made during the nineteen months he was stationed in the area as an officer with the 68th Regiment.
High Trees, the house in which Agnes Greer and Colonel Henry Greer lived in Tauranga, 1864-66.
Tauranga City Libraries.
Tauranga City Libraries.
Agnes Greer (1831-1912) travelled from England to New Zealand when her husband, Colonel Henry Greer, was sent into the field as a commanding officer in late 1863. She sailed with her three youngest children and husband on the Silver Eagle, leaving England in late November 1863 and arriving in Auckland in March 1864.
As the war in the Waikato came to an end and the focus of fighting moved to Tauranga, Agnes Greer also moved there with her husband. Colonel and Mrs Greer occupied the house known as 'High Trees', the most elaborate house in the small settlement. Agnes Greer gave birth to her fifth child in March 1865. The birth was premature; there were fears for Mrs Greer's life following the birth. Captain Charles Shuttleworth, an officer with the 68th Regiments, recorded in his diary on 24 March that Mrs Greer was 'very dangerously ill'. Four days later he was still noting that her health was 'very bad'. By 11 April he could report that she was 'getting better'. The regimental band played for the first time 'since Mrs G. illness' on 15 April. Sadly, the child died a few weeks later.
As the war in the Waikato came to an end and the focus of fighting moved to Tauranga, Agnes Greer also moved there with her husband. Colonel and Mrs Greer occupied the house known as 'High Trees', the most elaborate house in the small settlement. Agnes Greer gave birth to her fifth child in March 1865. The birth was premature; there were fears for Mrs Greer's life following the birth. Captain Charles Shuttleworth, an officer with the 68th Regiments, recorded in his diary on 24 March that Mrs Greer was 'very dangerously ill'. Four days later he was still noting that her health was 'very bad'. By 11 April he could report that she was 'getting better'. The regimental band played for the first time 'since Mrs G. illness' on 15 April. Sadly, the child died a few weeks later.
Erena, 1864, Horatio Gordon Robley, A-080-009, Alexander Turnbull Library
The portrait of a younger woman identified as Erena, also made by Horatio Gordon Robley in the Tauranga area in 1864, brings another woman into historical view. Twenty-four year old Robley developed close ties with some Māori living in the area; he married a local woman Harete Mauao with whom he had a son Hamiora Tu Ropere. Robley left New Zealand in early 1866 leaving Harete and Hamiora behind.
Charles Shuttleworth Diary, 1865, D/DLI 7/632/2, Durham Record Office.
'Robley, Major-General Horatio Gordon', from An Encyclopedia of New Zealand, edited A.H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara-the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 23-Apr-09
'Robley, Major-General Horatio Gordon', from An Encyclopedia of New Zealand, edited A.H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara-the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 23-Apr-09
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