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The Rule of Law , Tauranga's early history
Main BodyFrom Armed Constabulary to Police Force 1867-1886
[left]Tauranga, although still a fledgling settlement, was seen as the focal point for the control of the Bay of Plenty district when the Armed Constabulary was established in 1867.
There was a good harbour, which was a centre for shipping up and down the coast, strongly fortified redoubts, the Māori "rebels" had been brought under control, and land was being surveyed and made available for settlement.
The central plateau country around Taupō was still isolated and difficult of access, with no military presence there until the hunt for Te Kooti made it necessary. [/left]
[left]The departure of the Imperial soldiers marked the beginning of a new era.
No longer were outsiders responsible for maintaining law and order in the Bay of Plenty.
That duty devolved upon the 1st Waikato Militia, military settlers committed to making a life in the colony.
They wanted not confrontation but peaceful co-existence.
Many took up positions with the Armed Constabulary.
Gradually it became clear that the wars in the Tauranga district were over and that the greater need was for civilian policing. [/left]
[left]Ōpōtiki replaced Tauranga as the headquarters for the Bay of Plenty in 1877.
The Armed Constabulary amalgamated with the provincial police, and then divided into two organisations: the New Zealand Constabulary Force, responsible for civil policing, and the Constabulary Field force, which continued to carry weapons. [/left]
[left]Four native constables were appointed, with responsibility for maintaining law and order among Māori. Gradually the idea of separate policing for Māori and European died out, although the position of Native Constable was abolished only in 1945. [/left]
[left]The final transition to the present-day situation with totally separate police and military structures came in 1886, when the New Zealand Police Force was established by statute. [/left]
Local Government 1860 - present
Before the government-driven settlement of Tauranga in the late 1860s, civil administration in the Bay of Plenty had gone through three stages, all designed to deal with a predominantly Māori population.
First was a Protector of the Aborigines, a position established in 1842 and based at Maketū.
By about 1850 the position of Resident Magistrate was considered appropriate.
This was replaced in its turn by that of Civil Commissioner.
The Tauranga Highway Board was gazetted in 1870.
The naming of the local body in this way shows clearly what its main focus was: the ability to strike a rate and apply a levy to householders in order to form and maintain streets within the settlement.
The outlying districts were controlled by several separate Highway Boards, and much dissension arose from concerns about equity of funding for road works. The Tauranga County Council was finally formed in 1876.
Tauranga City Libraries Photo 99-659
In 1882, in response to a petition from residents, the township of Tauranga was judged to be of sufficient size to be made a borough, and elections were held at the end of February, with George Vesey Stewart of Katikati elected the first mayor.
Tauranga gradually incorporated suburban areas into its jurisdiction, achieving sufficient population to be named a city in 1963
[left]Tauranga, although still a fledgling settlement, was seen as the focal point for the control of the Bay of Plenty district when the Armed Constabulary was established in 1867.
There was a good harbour, which was a centre for shipping up and down the coast, strongly fortified redoubts, the Māori "rebels" had been brought under control, and land was being surveyed and made available for settlement.
The central plateau country around Taupō was still isolated and difficult of access, with no military presence there until the hunt for Te Kooti made it necessary. [/left]
[left]The departure of the Imperial soldiers marked the beginning of a new era.
No longer were outsiders responsible for maintaining law and order in the Bay of Plenty.
That duty devolved upon the 1st Waikato Militia, military settlers committed to making a life in the colony.
They wanted not confrontation but peaceful co-existence.
Many took up positions with the Armed Constabulary.
Gradually it became clear that the wars in the Tauranga district were over and that the greater need was for civilian policing. [/left]
[left]Ōpōtiki replaced Tauranga as the headquarters for the Bay of Plenty in 1877.
The Armed Constabulary amalgamated with the provincial police, and then divided into two organisations: the New Zealand Constabulary Force, responsible for civil policing, and the Constabulary Field force, which continued to carry weapons. [/left]
[left]Four native constables were appointed, with responsibility for maintaining law and order among Māori. Gradually the idea of separate policing for Māori and European died out, although the position of Native Constable was abolished only in 1945. [/left]
[left]The final transition to the present-day situation with totally separate police and military structures came in 1886, when the New Zealand Police Force was established by statute. [/left]
Local Government 1860 - present
Before the government-driven settlement of Tauranga in the late 1860s, civil administration in the Bay of Plenty had gone through three stages, all designed to deal with a predominantly Māori population.
First was a Protector of the Aborigines, a position established in 1842 and based at Maketū.
By about 1850 the position of Resident Magistrate was considered appropriate.
This was replaced in its turn by that of Civil Commissioner.
The Tauranga Highway Board was gazetted in 1870.
The naming of the local body in this way shows clearly what its main focus was: the ability to strike a rate and apply a levy to householders in order to form and maintain streets within the settlement.
The outlying districts were controlled by several separate Highway Boards, and much dissension arose from concerns about equity of funding for road works. The Tauranga County Council was finally formed in 1876.
Tauranga City Libraries Photo 99-659
In 1882, in response to a petition from residents, the township of Tauranga was judged to be of sufficient size to be made a borough, and elections were held at the end of February, with George Vesey Stewart of Katikati elected the first mayor.
Tauranga gradually incorporated suburban areas into its jurisdiction, achieving sufficient population to be named a city in 1963
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Tauranga City Libraries Staff - Harley Couper, The Rule of Law , Tauranga's early history. Pae Korokī, accessed 13/10/2024, https://paekoroki.tauranga.govt.nz/nodes/view/16328
