3. Background Circumstances:

Kehu was born into a period of considerable strife for Ngati Tumatakokiri who had been in decline and by the late 18th century were maintaining only a tenuous hold over their previous large domain. That domain had been bounded to the north by the coastline from Croisilles to Farewell Spit, to the east by the ranges of Nelson and to the south to the inland lakes. Rotoiti and Rotoroa, and into the Maruia, Kawatiri (Buller). Inangahua and Mawhera (Grey) districts, from their headwaters to the coast. That is, over a period of two centuries they had come to assert their mana (dominion, sovereignty) over the north-western quadrant of this island. However, by the late 1700s there had been generations of skirmishing and battles between Ngati Tumatakokiri and their neighbours on a number of fronts. Ngati Apa had made serious inroads on the northern coastal flanks from Waimea to Mohua (now Golden Bay) and Te Tai Tapu, returning repeatedly by canoe from the Sounds and even from Kapiti and the Rangitikei Coast. Overland skirmishes on their eastern flank were frequently fought with Ngati Kuia and Rangitane. ⁵ To the south there was frequent harassment from Ngai Tahu parties, from both page 4 page 5their Canterbury bases at Kaiapoi and Tuahiwi etc, and their Te Tai Poutini (West Coast) bases at Mawhera (near Greymouth), and at Taramakau, Arahura and Hokitika.

There did seem to be a period of relative calm for a few years prior to about 1790, but this was disrupted when Wereta Tainui, son of Tuhuru of Poutini Ngai Tahu, abducted Kokore of Ngati Tumatakokiri and took her as wife. Ngati Tumatakokiri objected and another round of skirmishes began which escalated with the killing of the Ngai Tahu chief, Pakeke, at Maruia. As soon as intelligence of this tragedy was received by Ngai Tahu, two retaliatory taua (war parties) set out to avenge his death. One party came from Canterbury, led by Warekino, and the other from Mawhera, led by Tuhuru; these chiefs were near relatives. The two parties met at the Karamea River where, through mistaken identity, Tuhuru almost killed Warekino. The two chiefs combined their taua and proceeded on to Tai Tapu and into Mohua (Golden Bay) to deliver utu (revenge) to Tumatakokiri strongholds in those parts. Matters continued in this vein for the next 10 to 15 years, with Ngati Tumatakokiri gradually losing ground as their various flanks were assailed by the tribes mentioned. We are not convinced that the Ngai Tahu and the Kurahaupo iwi operated in a coordinated way against Ngati Tumatakokiri; it was more likely to have been opportunistic as each faction grabbed chances as they came their way. The final blow for Tumatakokiri on their south-western quarter was delivered by Tuhuru's warriors in about 1810 at the battle called Kotukuwhakaoho near the junction of the Grey and Arnold rivers; some say it was a few miles up the Arnold River at the place now known as Kokiri, itself named as a contraction of Tumatakokiri according to some Maori commentators. ⁶