The peaceful Pacific archipelago that almost became a German colony
In 1841, a contract was signed to sell the Chatham Islands to Germany for £10,000. This near-miss in colonial history follows a much darker era of invasion, slavery, and a profound struggle for survival by the islands' original inhabitants.
The Chatham Islands, known to the Moriori as Rēkohu, were first settled by Polynesian migrants, likely during the 15th century [S1:p2]. While some traditions suggest direct arrivals from tropical East Polynesia, linguistic and physical evidence confirms a final migration from mainland New Faraway New Zealand [S1:p6]. The Moriori developed a unique way of life as hunter-gatherers, even inventing the waka kōrari—a semi-submerged craft made of flax and kelp air bladders—to navigate the colder waters [S1:p7]. To prevent further bloodshed, the chief Nunuku-whenua eventually outlawed warfare, establishing a society governed by consensus and non-aggression [S1:p7].
This peace was shattered in 1835 when approximately 900 Māori from the Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama iwi arrived on the brig Lord Rodney [S1:p12]. The ensuing invasion was devastating; more than 260 Moriori were killed, and many survivors were enslaved [S1:p3, S1:p14]. By 1863, when a resident magistrate officially abolished slavery, the Moriori population had plummeted to just 160 individuals, less than 10% of their 1835 numbers [S1:p15].
The islands' political status remained volatile throughout the 19th century. In 1841, the New Zealand Company attempted to sell the archipelago to a German entrepreneur for £10,000, an amount roughly equivalent to £860,000 today [S1:p4]. However, the British Colonial Office intervened, declaring the islands part of the Colony of New Zealand [S1:p4]. Today, the islands remain a New Zealand territory, with a small resident population of about 620 people [S1:p5].
Recent discoveries continue to rewrite the islands' history. In 2024, archaeologists found approximately 450 pieces of a traditional ocean-going waka in a northern creek [S1:p8]. Experts believe this vessel likely dates to a period before significant cultural separation between New Zealand and the wider Pacific [S1:p8].
Source: Chatham Islands
