Māori invasion and enslavement of the Chatham Islands

Background. The Moriori were the first human inhabitants of the Chatham Islands, having settled there by at least 1500 AD. Their culture diverged from mainland Māori, developing a distinct language and way of life. In 1835, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama, originally from Taranaki but living in Wellington, decided to migrate to the Chatham Islands. They had originally planned to settle Samoa or Norfolk Islands but chose the Chathams due to proximity.

Invasion. The invasion occurred in two sailings on the brig Lord Rodney. The first arrived on 19 November 1835, carrying 500 Māori with weapons and potatoes. A second load of 400 Taranaki Māori arrived on 5 December 1835. The invaders, led by chief Pōmare Ngātata, included men, women, and children. They had agreed not to divide land until all had arrived to ensure fairness.

Enslavement. The Moriori were wholly unprepared to deal with the aggressive culture of the Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga settlers. Following the invasion, all Moriori were either killed, died of newly introduced diseases, or were enslaved. The survivors' language and culture became intermingled with Māori society. Slavery continued until 1863, by which time only 160 Moriori remained, representing less than 10% of the 1835 population.