James and Mary Wallis

James and Mary Wallis were Wesleyan missionaries and the first European Settlers in Raglan, New Zealand.

Early years and journey to New Zealand

Born in 1809 in Blackwall, London,[1] James Wallis felt the call to ministry at a young age after a personal spiritual awakening. In 1834 - after being accepted for a position to the Pacific via the Wesleyan Missionary Society - he married Mary Ann Reddick. A few weeks later they were aboard a vessel bound for Australia en route to the fledgling Mission at Mangungu, in the Hokianga, New Zealand.

After several months in Hobart, Australia, James and Mary arranged a vessel to carry them to the Hokianga Harbour, New Zealand whereby they arrived on 1 December 1834. Immediately upon entering the harbour mouth, their ship was caught by a gust of wind and laid

“nearly on her beam ends and the rocks. Recovering from this danger the captain ran his vessel a mile or two up the river and dropped anchor at the pilot station . A few minutes after the anchor was down a large number of natives came on board whose wild antics and unitelligable jargon gave us an insight into the kind of people among whom out lot was to be cast for an indefinite time[2]”

After several months at Mangungu, where a Mission Station was already established and a new mission house was under construction, James was surprised at the practical nature of his work “A New Zealand Missionary was to be a man of all work”. Eventually becoming frustrated at the lack of spiritual input he was able to contribute he pushed for a new mission base to be established under his leadership in the Kawhia and Whaingaroa (now known as Raglan) regions further south on the west coast of the North Island.[3]

First years in Raglan

In April 1835, James and Mary Wallis, along with another missionary couple and a number Maori Chiefs from Hokianga arrived – via a three-day sailing journey at Kāwhia Harbour. The Hokianga Chiefs spoke in favor of the missionaries and a crowd of about 1,000 were present to celebrate their arrival.

Missionary influence in New Zealand circa 1840 showing the locations of importance with respect to James and Mary Wallis.

While Mrs Wallis stayed at Kawhia with the other missionaries, James journeyed on foot to Raglan, a distance of about 30 km across very rough terrain with his local Maori guide who had been expecting his arrival - some 12 months previous, the establishment of a mission station had been agreed between Maori Chiefs and members of a Wesleyan reconnaissance tour of the region....

“Here [at Raglan] I was met with a warm reception from the natives who from various considerations welcomed me as their future instructor. A rush hut about eight feet by five feet was assigned to me as my residence.... Building of the Mission House was undertaken by some fifty or sixty men, only about a third of whom worked at one time all the rest looking on, and occasionally suggesting an improved style of architecture. In the course of a few weeks, the house was finished so far as labor was needed..... As soon as the house was habitable Mrs. Wallis was fetched by a dozen natives who carried her in a sedan of their own construction."[2]

Immediately upon arrival - in between the practicalities of establishing a mission station complete with gardens and home, religious services began with the attendance of as many as 200 people at one time. Initially, services consisted of the reading of passages of Scripture and commentary by a Maori interpreter and assistant to Wallis who had been trained at Mangungu. It was not long before James and his Wife has a full grasp of the Maori language and could converse fluently without an interpreter. On 23 November 1835 the Wallis’ first child was born, Elizabeth Reddick, the first European born in the district.

The Mission to Raglan was successful in converting many local Maori people who were very receptive to the message of the Bible. By January 1836, several large and influential tribes had professed faith with the most notable conversion being that of the notable local warrior and chief Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia.

This first Raglan Mission was established at Te Horea on the north side of the Raglan Harbor.

Tangiteroria

Around about May 1836, word was received from the London Secretaries of the Wesleyan Missionary Society that it had been agreed that the area south of the Manukau would be occupied by the Church Missionary Society and that all the Methodist Missionaries around Kawhia and Raglan were to withdraw. This news was a great shock to James and Mary – as well as local Maori as their work in Raglan was flourishing. On June 1, 1836, Wallis wrote:

“Left Waingaroa this morning with heart overwhelmed with sorrow and not without some doubts relative to the propriety of the steps we are taking. The Lord has been please own our labors at Waingaroa in a measure far surpassing anything we had anticipated and the people have regarded us as their principal friends.... Several of them accompanied us to sea as far as they safety could then threw themselves into their canoes returning to land with hearts overwhelmed.[3]”

It was decided that the Wallis’ would now pioneer a new mission station that was some distance into the Kaipara region and up a branch of the Wairoa River, Northland at Tangiteroria. Here they labored, building a new mission house and gardens etc. As the Maori settlements were some distance away, and the local people of this area “manifested no desire for religious instruction” James had to travel considerable distances to preach the message. After 12 months of rather fruitless labor in the Kaipara region, a visit from Raglan Maori encouraged him to return their region with reports that many were still attending worship and were learning to read and write under the leadership of their own people. Wallis partitioned the Secretaries in London for permission to return to Raglan and about October 1938, seeing as the area had still not been occupied by the CMS, his return was approved. The work at Tangiteroria had, by now, had some success with a local Chief beginning to attend worship and learning to read and write and the work there continued after the Wallis’ left under the leadership of James Buller.

Nihinihi

The Nihinihi Mission House in Raglan.

On 4 March 1839, the barque Elizabeth which had been charted by Wallis arrived at Raglan to be greeted by a large crowd of Maori who had gathered to express joy at the return of the Missionaries. The old mission house at Te Horea on the north side of the harbour had fallen into a state of disrepair. The Wallis’s therefore made arrangements for the future of the mission to be at Nihinihi on the south side of the harbour and so land was purchased and James began construction of...

“The third station, the entire of which in planning and building etc, has exclusively devolved upon myself, and when I look back on the years I have spent in NZ, I am grieved that a greater portion of my time has not been more directly devoted to the spiritual interests of the perishing...”

On the first Sunday after his return Wallis preached twice at the old Chapel at Te Horea to a congregation of nearly 500 and married and baptised two couples. Later, at a local village he preached to a crowd of 800 and performed 65 baptisms. James and Mary were to serve in the region until 1863 when they were transferred to Onehunga for health reasons – there was a large gathering of local Maori and Europeans to pay respect to the Missionaries as they departed.

Timeline

Children of James and Mary Wallis

Captain James Wallis of the 46th regiment 1785-1858

See also

References

  1. ↑ Raglan by R. T Vernon
  2. 1 2 Brief Sketch of my Missionary Life to be used in preparation of a book on early Methodisim in New Zealand - James Wallis
  3. 1 2 The Rev James Wallis of the Weslyan Mission Society by C. T. J Luxton
  4. ↑ Te Uku by R. T Vernon
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