(dramatic music)
- [Octavius Voiceover] The Maori were ill
by hundreds at a time.
Our medical man, at Otaki,
was of great service,
and the deaths there have been few.
But at other places, there
have been many deaths.
I found the population of
whole villages laid low
and without the necessary supplies.
In some homes, all were ill,
and there were none to
fetch water or light fires.
I have, for many weeks, been
attending measles patients.
I was not surprised to
be taken ill with it
while I was in Wellington.
I've been unfit for any
work for nearly three weeks.
- The work of missionaries
throughout the 1800s in Aotearoa,
New Zealand involved much more
than simply going to church
and preaching the gospel
on Sunday mornings.
The dedicated missionaries
were fully involved
in the day-to-day activities
of those they came to help.
Their dedicated service
was practical, dynamic
and often involved high
risk to themselves,
yet we don't hear much about them
and most people don't even
know any of their names.
Well, today, we're going
to discover the character
and devotion of one of
these amazing individuals.
Christian missionaries first arrived
in Aotearoa, New Zealand in the year 1814.
In the very same year, on
the other side of the globe,
on the Isle of Wight, a baby boy was born.
This child, although sickly and near death
on several occasions,
would grow into a man
who would later be described
as the most remarkable man
the colony of New Zealand ever knew.
He befriended fierce warrior chiefs,
brought down a governor,
guided politicians,
saved the city, became the
conscience to a nation,
and the enemy of prime ministers.
He was a man of principle
who was hard hitting and farseeing.
He was a man who resented injustice
with every fibre of his being.
And yet, despite all of this,
the name Octavius Hadfield
isn't appreciated much today.
Few know of his brave
peacemaking escapades
between fighting Maori tribes
or his fearless denunciation
of the crown, the British
colonial government in New Zealand
and its gross discrimination
against Maori.
During the years that he spent
in Aotearoa, New Zealand,
Octavius Hadfield's faith
in God never wavered.
He practised what he preached,
and the consistency with which
he practised his religion
won the hearts of Maori.
They completely trusted and respected him
and knew that his words
could be relied on.
They could see that his commitment
to the great God of heaven
was the genuine article.
In short, Maori loved him.
Join me as we follow the footsteps
and exploits of the
remarkable Octavius Hadfield.
His story will inspire and encourage you.
(soft music)
Octavius Hadfield was born at
Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight
on the 6th of October, 1814.
He was the 10th and youngest
son of Joseph Hadfield,
a silk merchant.
The family attended the local church.
Hadfield's parents were
wealthy, and their large family
enjoyed a free and interesting childhood.
But in his early teens Hadfield's
education was cut short.
He began to suffer serious asthma attacks.
He was forced to leave school
and studied on his own at home.
Sometimes he was so ill,
the doctors didn't think he would survive.
Later, he attended Oxford University
and studied at Pembroke College,
but continued ill health
brought an end to his
formal university studies.
Despite his ill health,
at about this time,
Octavius wrote about his future plans.
- [Octavius Voiceover] Early
in 1836, I made up my mind
that if my health improved,
I would go to work somewhere
as a missionary among the heathen.
- Hadfield hadn't seen
any missionary literature,
but the young man had read
and studied the New Testament
and the teachings of Jesus.
In particular, he grasped
Christ's great commission
in Matthew chapter 28.
Go therefore, and make
disciples of all nations,
baptising them in the name of the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Teach these new disciples
to obey all the commands
I have given you.
The young man felt a great indignation
that the clear command for
Christians to go to all nations
had gone largely unheeded for 1,800 years.
The very thought appalled Octavius.
He sensed the strong
conviction to do his part
to fulfil this command of Christ.
So he wrote to the church
missionary society,
informing them that he
was prepared to work
as a missionary anywhere in the world.
But because he didn't
have a university degree,
he wasn't accepted for
ordination in England.
However, the door was finally opened
for the now 23-year-old Octavius Hadfield.
He heard that the Bishop of
Australia, William Broughton,
was prepared to ordain suitable men
without a degree to work in
Australia and New Zealand.
And so on the 12th of February,
1838, he left his home
and family and sailed to
the other side of the world.
He arrived in Port Jackson,
now known as Sydney, five months later.
And during his brief time in Australia,
Hadfield became the first missionary
to be ordained as a deacon in Australasia.
Later that year, he
crossed the Tasman Sea.
And in December 1838,
though still in poor health,
the tall, lean Octavius
Hadfield arrived at Paihia,
in the north of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
And a few weeks later, on
the 6th of January, 1839,
he became the first clergyman
to be ordained in New Zealand.
By now, there were about
2,000 European settlers
living in Aotearoa, New Zealand,
among a population of over 100,000 Maori.
The lucrative businesses
of whaling and sealing
had drawn the Europeans.
They also wanted the fabulous
timbers found in the forests,
along with the opportunities
the flax trade provided.
Meanwhile, at Paihia, the
missionaries worked tirelessly
and diligently among
Maori towards creating
a godly and peaceful society.
Hadfield's mentor and overseer in Paihia
would be the fearless, resilient
and experienced
missionary, Henry Williams.
This man was fully
committed to strengthening
the Christian mission in
Aotearoa, New Zealand.
He'd been working there for 15 years.
- Oh, I think Octavius's
religion underpinned who he was.
If you look at the 10 commandments,
it says to love thy neighbour as thyself.
It also talked about doing unto others
as you'd have them to do you.
And I think those two things
really drove who he was
as a person and led to his involvement
and big influence of the Clapham
sect by William Wilberforce,
and that strong social reform movement,
anti-slavery movement, penal
reform movement in the UK,
and it was a very strong
underpinner of who he was.
- Then in early 1839, two Maori men
named Matene Te Whiwhi and
Katu arrived in Paihia.
They had come from the Kapiti area,
just north of Wellington.
They were looking for a missionary
to come and live among them.
They were of the Ngati Toa
and Ngati Rakaia people
led by the famous warrior
chief, Te Rauparaha.
These fierce and warlike
tribes were renowned
for their conquest of multitudes of Maori,
particularly in the south island.
Could the gospel possibly
triumph among these people?
And how could Octavius
cope in such a foreign
and potentially dangerous environment.
Missionaries were being
highly sought after by Maori.
There was considerable mana,
or status and prestige,
attached to tribes having
their own live-in missionary,
and many of them greatly
valued being able to learn
from the new technology,
and most importantly,
the written holy book of God.
Octavius Hadfield made it
clear that he would gladly
go to Kapiti despite his ill health
and lack of experience
and despite this tribe's
well-known reputation for
aggression and violence.
- [Octavius Voiceover]
I can only die once,
and I would just as soon die
in a Maori pa as in a missionary's house.
- Hadfield was offered the position.
He was to leave in about
a fortnight's time,
and Henry Williams would
accompany him on the journey.
And so on the 21st of October,
1839, the two men set sail.
Immediately, Hadfield's
health deteriorated.
His asthma steadily grew worse.
After 17 days, they finally arrived safely
in Port Nicholson, known
today as Wellington.
However, the demands on
Hadfield's frail body
were to continue.
From Wellington, carrying
all their gear, supplies
and equipment, the two men had
to then trek through the bush
and along the beach for 60
kilometres up to Waikanae.
This took them a further four days.
They finally arrived at Waikanae,
a huge Maori village called Kenakena pa.
Its outer stockade
were over 1.5 kilometres in circumference.
The two missionaries were
welcomed by about 1,000 Maori.
These people have written letters
to the mission in Northland
requesting a missionary
come and live among them.
So the arrival of Williams and Hadfield
created great excitement.
Then to the amazement of the visitors,
the people sang several
hymns to the glory of God.
The missionaries soon learned
that three Maori captives
who had been taken up to
Northland had been taught
by missionaries after their
release and then returned
to live with their people at Kenakena pa.
Led by these Maori Christians,
a substantial wharenui,
church, had even been built.
Maori were now teaching the
gospel to their own people.
The people at Kenakena pa
showed their two visitors
fragments of the New Testament
and the common book of prayer
that had been given to them.
It was evident that they crave for more.
- The problem Octavius had
when he first arrived in Kapiti
was that both of the tribes,
Te Ati Awa, Waikanae,
Ngati Raukawa at Otaki,
that both wanted him to
come and live with him.
And of course, he couldn't
be in two places at once.
So Henry Williams suggested
that he build a little hut
at each of the places,
which is what he did,
and he travelled between the two huts.
- Soon the time came for
Henry to return to Paihia.
He was reluctant to leave
such a large and risky mission
in the hands of an
inexperienced single man
with very poor health.
- [Henry] I regretted
leaving Mr. Hadfield,
a young man with ardent zeal
but in very delicate health,
alone in this extensive
and most important field.
- I think when he first
arrived at the pa in Kapiti,
it must have been quite a shock to him.
He was up at four o'clock in the morning.
The food would have been very different
from what he was used to.
There were insects, getting
used to communal Maori life.
It must have been pretty tough.
- His accommodation in the initial stages
would be his flimsy tent.
He had to walk many kilometres
to reach Maori in the outlying districts.
Ill health continued to plague him,
but Octavius Hadfield had made up his mind
to commit himself fully to
his new responsibilities.
Several months later, furnishings
for the two small homes
he was to build arrived in
Kapiti along with two horses.
No longer would Hadfield
have to travel on foot.
The sailing skills Hadfield
had learnt as a child
proved invaluable to him.
With his mission extending to
the top of the South Island,
he sailed across the
notorious Cook Strait,
one of the most dangerous
stretches of water in the world.
He did this on numerous
occasions, sailing his flimsy
little craft, sometimes
completely on his own.
Other times, Maori who
understood the hidden perils
in this dangerous body of
water would accompany him
rowing beside him in
their waka, their canoe.
In the North Island, Octavius
was thankful for his horses.
Now he was able to travel
even further afield.
His area of ministry became very large.
It stretched over 240 kilometres
up the coast to Taranaki
and across Cook Strait
in the other direction,
to D'Urville Island and
Nelson in the South Island.
It also stretched many
kilometres up the Manawatu River
and across the Remutaka
Ranges, to the Wairarapa,
and from there down to Wellington.
As well as using his
horses for transportation,
Hadfield would also jump on
to some of the many waka,
canoes, that travelled along the coast.
Isolated from his own people,
Hadfield's workload was immense.
His days, usually beginning at four a.m.
His possessions were meagre.
His frugal diet consisted
mostly of biscuit,
boiled flour, and the odd fowl.
Yet, despite all this, Octavius
Hadfield was a happy man.
He was working where he
wanted to be working,
living among Maori and encouraging them
to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Hadfield's life became quickly attached
to the lives of his Maori friends.
A warm relationship
developed between them,
and they even referred
to him as their father,
and he became recognised as an authority
in Maori customs and language.
Maori interest and confidence in the Bible
continued to grow.
Their thirst for books and
learning was unquenchable.
Wherever he went, Hadfield
was asked for more books.
He once wrote that if he had 5,000 Maori
New Testament Bibles, they'd
all be gone in a fortnight.
By 1841, he was serving
7,000 Maori and supervising
18 schools throughout his
large area of ministry.
These schools provided
basic European education
and training in agriculture
and domestic skills.
People of all ages were
coming to him to learn.
Even the astute and
aged chief Te Rauparaha
would sit in on the church
classroom with his slate,
puzzling over his letters.
These two men, so completely
different to each other,
forged a strong mutual
respect for each other.
Often, the old chief would
visit his missionary friend
and they'd talk for hours.
In June 1848, Te Rauparaha
wrote to Hadfield,
whom he'd nicknamed Wira,
about a large church he was having built.
- [Te Rauparaha] Oh friend, oh Wira,
greetings to you in your illness.
My warm feelings for you
maintain their hold within me.
I continue to care for
our work, oh friend.
The church will be finished
soon, and it is excellent.
And the Pakeha of the town are amazed
and in admiration at the sight of it.
From the time that it is
opened, it will be magnificent.
With kind wishes, from
your friend, Te Rauparaha.
- In the year 1844, Hadfield's
health deteriorated markedly.
He could barely walk.
His beloved Maori friends were
concerned that they lacked
the knowledge to cure him and
feared they might lose him.
So they carried him on a simple stretcher
all the way from Kapiti to Wellington.
They took him to the home
of a Christian couple,
Henry and Anne St. Hill.
This devoted pair carefully
attended to the ailing man.
Many believed that Octavius
Hadfield was dying,
but Octavius Hadfield
stubbornly refused to die.
Though he was desperately
ill and in great pain,
the 30-year-old Hadfield clung to life.
However, he was to spend
the next four years in bed.
Yet, even from here, he
would not stop serving Maori.
From his bed, he seemed to know everything
that was going on among Maori
and was aware of the very
pulse of the entire country.
- [Man] His influence is
greater than can be expressed.
He does more to preserve
the peace of this district
than all the soldiers.
As the Maori say, though
his body is weary,
his tongue is sound.
His presence in Wellington
has, more than once,
prevented an attack on the town.
- Tumultuous times were developing
in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
A humanitarian and progressive document,
the Treaty of Waitangi, had
been signed but not honoured
by the British colonial
government and the settlers.
Tensions began to arise
as more and more injustices
against Maori occurred.
Though so very ill,
Hadfield did not waste
this period of his life.
From his sick bed, he wrote
many articles and letters
in defence of Maori.
His visitors included Governor George Grey
and the Bishop of New
Zealand, Bishop Selwyn.
His influence alleviated
biases and prejudices
held against Maori.
Miraculously, in mid-1849,
Hadfield's health dramatically improved.
And in the spring of that year,
Octavius Hadfield made his
joyful return to Kapiti
after an absence of almost five years.
Hadfield was given a tumultuous welcome
and greeted with large cries
of haere mai when he returned
to his beloved Maori at
Rangatira Church at Kapiti.
And it would be three years
later in Rangatira Church
that the 38-year-old missionary
would marry Kate Williams,
the third daughter of his
senior missionary mentor,
Henry Williams.
Kate was born in Aotearoa, New Zealand
and was fluent in the Maori language.
She was familiar with
the strength of Maori
and was no stranger to their
culture and traditions.
Kate had a passion for
Christian education.
And having watched her mother
face the many challenges
of missionary life, she
knew what was involved
in this kind of career.
Her happy disposition
and passion for the cause
made her the perfect partner
for Octavius Hadfield.
After their marriage,
Octavius continued to travel extensively,
leaving Kate to manage
the home and school alone.
Unlike her mother though,
Kate did accompany her husband
on a number of occasions.
- Octavius's main focus, of
course, was his missionary work.
That's what he came to New Zealand to do.
But in his view,
you couldn't separate
political from religious.
In 1842, after the Wairau Massacre,
Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata
were expecting retribution
from the government, so they planned
a preemptive strike on Wellington.
Octavius got to hear about this,
went to Wellington to
explain to the government.
On his way back, he
discovered that Te Rangihaeata
and Te Rauparaha were
still wanting to attack.
So he met with them halfway
with Wirimukene's help
and they stopped it.
If they had not stopped it,
it could have been an absolute bloodbath.
- Never taking the credit for
these successes to himself,
Hadfield would simply exclaim
the gospel has displayed its power.
Octavius Hadfield spoke out bravely
throughout his life against injustice.
He was, at times,
deeply unpopular with both
settlers and politicians.
However, the very politicians
who have vilified Octavius
were often forced to admit that
wars could have been avoided
and millions of pounds saved
if they had taken his advice.
In spite of often fragile health,
Octavius Hadfield enjoyed a long life.
He became the Bishop
of Wellington in 1870,
and the Primate of New Zealand in 1890.
He played his part in
securing peace and justice
for both Maori and Pakeha
based on mutual respect and equal rights.
He died in 1904 at the end of 90.
These words are inscribed
on his gravestone,
where he lies next to his beloved Kate
at a peaceful graveyard of a small church
at Tututotara near Whanganui.
- [Octavius] I have finished my course.
I have kept the faith.
- Octavius Hadfield is unquestionably
one of the great New
Zealanders of the 19th century.
He was a man of principle, with
a strong belief in justice,
peace and living the Christian life.
Maori paid him the ultimate accolade
in calling him a rangatira, chief.
Although he suffered ill health
and many other challenges in life,
he experienced inner peace,
happiness and fulfilment
that comes from knowing Jesus
as your friend and saviour.
If you'd like to experience
that same inner peace,
happiness and fulfilment in your life,
why not ask for it now as we pray.
Dear heavenly Father,
thank you for your love
and goodness to us and
for the continued presence
and power of your word, the Bible,
in this sad and broken world.
May we allow ourselves to
be inspired and influenced
by your word, the Bible,
so that we can find
the peace and happiness that
you planned for our lives.
In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.
If you are battling with
the challenges of life
and would like to experience
the peace, hope and forgiveness
that changed the lives of
the mighty Maori warriors
and brought them true happiness,
then I'd like to recommend
the free gift we have for
all our viewers today.
It's the inspiring booklet
called the Gospel of Luke.
This book is our gift to
you and is absolutely free.
There are no costs or
obligations whatsoever.
Thousands have been blessed by this book,
so please make sure you
take this opportunity
to receive the gift we have for you today.
Here's the information you need.
Phone or text us at
0436-333-555 in Australia
or 020-422-2042 in New Zealand.
Or visit our website,
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Don't delay.
Call or text us now.
If you've enjoyed today's
journey to Aotearoa, New Zealand
and our reflections on
the power of God's word,
then be sure to join us again next week.
Until then, remember
the ultimate destination
of life's journey.
Now I saw a new heaven in the new earth,
and God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes.
There shall be no more death,
nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain
for the former things have passed away.
(soft music)
