Boyd massacre at Whangaroa, December 1809

Background. The British brigantine Boyd sailed from Sydney Cove to Whangaroa in October 1809 to collect kauri spars. The vessel carried passengers, including ex-convicts and returning New Zealanders. Whangaroa Harbour, an inlet on Northland's northern coast, had been visited by whaling ships since 1805. Local Māori traditions associate the harbour with early settlement.

The Incident. The massacre occurred in December 1809 when Ngāti Pou Māori killed and ate between 66 and 70 Europeans. The attack was triggered by the crew whipping the son of a chief. This incident stands as the highest number of Europeans killed by Māori in a single event in New Zealand history.

Context and Documentation. The massacre and its aftermath are documented in Robert McNab's From Tasman To Marsden, a history of northern New Zealand from 1642 to 1818, which devotes chapters to the Boyd killings of 1809 and 1810 and the period from 1810 to 1814.