Captain Thomas Porter, the tall figure at right, is seen here with a group of Ngāitai kūpapa (Māori fighting alongside colonial troops) in Ōpōtiki in 1871. Porter, who came to New Zealand in the early 1860s, served with Ngāti Porou fighting Te Kooti Arikirangi in 1868 and in 1869 became second-in-command of the Arawa division of the Armed Constabulary. With that force he took part in the final campaign against Ngāti Ruanui rangatira Tītokowaru before joining Ngāti Porou in the pursuit of Te Kooti in 1870 and 1871. The involvement of kūpapa in these conflicts was significant. In the initial Pātea Field Force, which fought Tītokowaru, there were about 150 kūpapa and about 770 Europeans, but the number of Māori involved eventually exceeded 400. Most of these men were from lower Whanganui iwi and led by Keepa te Rangihiwinui (Muaūpoko), known to the British as Major Kemp.
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Hocken Collections, University of Otago
Reference: S12-108b
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