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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ002102A
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00:26 Maori were ill hundreds at a time. Our medical man at 00:31 Toltaki was of great service. 00:32 and the deaths there have been few. But at other places there 00:37 have been many deaths. I found the population of whole 00:40 villages laid low and without the necessary supplies. In some 00:45 homes all were ill and there were none to fetch water and 00:47 light fires. I have for many weeks been attending measles 00:52 patients. I was not surprised to be taken ill with it while I was 00:55 in Wellington. I've been unfit for any work for nearly three 01:01 weeks. ♪ ♪ 01:07 The work of missionaries throughout the 1800s in 01:10 Aotearoa, New Zealand involved much more than simply going to 01:15 church and preaching the gospel on Sunday mornings. 01:18 The dedicated missionaries were fully involved in the day to day 01:23 activities of those they came to help. Their dedicated service 01:28 was practical, dynamic and often involved high risk to themselves 01:33 Yet we don't hear much about them and most people don't even 01:38 know any of their names. Well today we're going to discover 01:43 the character and devotion of one of these amazing individuals 01:47 Christian missionaries first arrived in Aotearoa, New Zealand 01:55 in the year 1814. In the very same year on the other side 02:01 of the globe on the Isle of Wight a baby boy was born. This 02:06 child although sickly and near death on several occasions would 02:10 grow into a man who would later be described as the most 02:14 remarkable man the colony of New Zealand ever knew. He 02:19 befriended of fierce warrior chiefs, brought down a governor, 02:22 guided politicians, saved a city became the conscience to a 02:28 nation and the enemy of prime ministers. He was a man of 02:32 principle who was hard hitting and fast seeing. He was a man 02:37 resented injustice with every fiber of his being and yet 02:42 despite all of this the name Octavius Hadfield isn't 02:49 appreciated much today. Few know of his brave peace making 02:52 escapades between fighting Maori tribes or his fearless 02:56 denunciation of the crown, the British colonial government, in 03:00 New Zealand in its gross discrimination against Maori. 03:03 During the years that he spent in Aotearoa, New Zealand 03:07 Octavius Hadfield's faith in God never wavered. He practiced 03:13 what he preached and the consistency with which he 03:17 practiced his religion won the hearts of Maori. They completely 03:21 trusted and respected him and knew that his words could be 03:25 relied on. They could see that his commitment to the great God 03:30 of heaven was the genuine article. In short, Maori loved 03:36 him. Join me as we follow the footsteps and exploits of the 03:41 remarkable Octavius Hadfield. His story will inspire and 03:47 encourage you. 03:48 ♪ ♪ 04:11 Octavius Hadfield was born at Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight 04:14 on the 6th of October 1814. He was the 10th and youngest son of 04:22 Joseph Hadfield, a silk merchant The family attended the local 04:27 church. Hadfield's parents were wealthy and their large family 04:31 enjoyed a free and interesting childhood. But in his early 04:36 teens Hadfield's education was cut short. He began to suffer 04:41 serious asthma attacks. He was forced to leave school and 04:46 studied on his own at home. Sometimes he was so ill the 04:51 doctors didn't think he would survive. Later he attended 04:56 Oxford University and studied at Pembroke College. But 05:00 continued ill health brought an end to formal university studies 05:06 Despite his ill health at about this time Octavius wrote about 05:11 his future plans: 05:21 Hadfield hadn't seen any missionary literature. But the 05:28 young man had read and studied the New Testament and the 05:31 teachings of Jesus. In particular he grasped Christ's 05:36 great commission in Matthew chapter 28: 05:56 The young man showed a great indignation that the clear 06:01 command for Christians to go to all nations had gone largely 06:04 unheeded for 1800 years. The very thought appalled Octavius. 06:12 He sensed the strong conviction to do his part to fulfill this 06:16 command of Christ. So he wrote to the church missionary society 06:22 informing them that he was prepared to work as a missionary 06:25 anywhere in the world. But because he didn't have a 06:30 university degree he wasn't accepted for ordination in 06:33 England. However, the door was finally opened for the now 06:37 23-year-old Octavius Hadfield. He heard that the Bishop of 06:42 Australia William Broughton was prepared to ordain suitable men 06:45 without a degree to work in Australia and New Zealand. And 06:50 so on the 12th of February 1838 he left his home and family and 06:55 sailed to the other side of the world. He arrived in Ft. Jackson 07:00 known now as Sydney five months later. During his brief time in 07:05 Australia Hadfield became the first missionary to be ordained 07:09 as a deacon in Australasia. Later that year he crossed the 07:15 Tasman sea and in December 1838 though still in poor health, the 07:22 tall, lean Octavius Hadfield arrived at Paihia in the north 07:27 of Aotearoa, New Zealand and a few weeks later on the 6th of 07:33 January 1839 he became the first clergyman to be ordained in New 07:41 Zealand. By now there were about 2000 European settlers living in 07:47 Aotearoa, New Zealand among a population of over 100,000 Mauri 07:54 The lucrative businesses of whaling and sealing had drawn 07:57 the Europeans. They also wanted the fabulous timbers found in 08:02 the forests along with the opportunities the flax trade 08:07 provided. Meanwhile at Paihia the missionaries worked 08:11 tirelessly and diligently among Mauri towards creating a Godly 08:16 and peaceful society. Hadfield's mentor and overseer in Paihia 08:21 would be the fearless, resilient and experienced missionary 08:26 Henry Williams. 08:28 This man was fully committed to strengthening the 08:31 Christian mission in Aotearoa, New Zealand. He'd been working 08:35 there for 15 years. 08:38 I think Octavius's religion and underpinned who he was and 08:42 If you look at the Ten Commandments that says to love 08:44 thy neighbor as thyself. It also talks about doing unto others 08:47 as you'd have them to do to you. I think those two things really 08:50 drove who he was as a person and it linked his involvement and 08:55 being influenced by the claims of William Wilberforce and that 08:59 strong social reform movement, antislavery movement, _ 09:04 reform movement in the UK and that was a very strong 09:06 underpinning of who he was. 09:09 Then in early 1839 two Mauri men named Motanetafifi and 09:15 Cautu arrived in Paihia. They'd come from the Kapiti area just 09:20 North of Wellington. They were looking for a missionary to come 09:24 and live among them. They were of the Natetoa and Nateanakaua 09:30 people led by the famous warrior chief Te Raurapraha These fierce 09:35 and warlike tribes were renowned for the conquest of multitudes 09:40 of Mauri particularly in the south island. Could the gospel 09:44 possibly triumph among these people. And how could Octavius 09:49 cope in such a foreign and potentially dangerous 09:54 environment? Missionaries were being highly sought after by 09:58 Mauri. There was considerable honor or status and prestige 10:02 attached to tribes having their own live in missionary and many 10:07 of them greatly valued being able to learn from the new 10:11 technology and most importantly the written Holy Book of God. 10:15 Octavius Hadfield made it clear that he would gladly go to 10:21 Kapati despite his ill health and lack of experience and 10:25 despite this tribe's well known reputation for aggression and 10:30 violence. 10:37 Hadfield was offered the position. He was to leave in 10:43 about a fortnight's time and Henry Williams would accompany 10:47 him on the journey. And so on the 21st of October 1839 the two 10:53 men set sail. Immediately Hadfield felt deteriorated. 10:58 His asthma steadily grew worse. After 17 days they finally 11:05 arrived safely in Port Nicholson known today as Wellington. 11:10 However, the demands of Hadfield's frail body were to 11:16 continue. From Wellington, carrying all their gear, 11:19 supplies and equipment the two men had to then trek through 11:23 the bush and along the beach for 60 km up to Waikanae. This 11:29 took them a further four days. They finally arrived at Waikanae 11:35 a huge Mauri village called Kenakenapa is at the stockade 11:40 where over one and a half kilometers in circumference. 11:45 The two missionaries were welcomed by about 1000 Mauri. 11:49 These people had written letters to the mission in Auckland 11:52 requesting a missionary come and live among them. So the arrival 11:57 of Williams and Hadfield created great excitement. Then to the 12:03 amazement of the visitors the people sang several hymns to the 12:09 glory of God. The missionaries soon learned the freed Mauri 12:14 captives who'd been taken up to Northland had been taught by 12:17 missionaries after their release That they returned to live with 12:21 their people at Kenakenapa. Led by these Mauri Christians a 12:27 substantial Fatanui church had even been built. Mauri were now 12:33 teaching the gospel to their own people. The people at Kenakenapa 12:38 showed the two visitors fragments of the New Testament 12:42 and the Common Book of Prayer that had been given to them. It 12:46 was evident that they craved for more. 12:49 The problem Octavius had 12:53 had when he first arrived in Kapiti was that both the tribes 12:56 the Yadayaua Wakinae and Nakayaukae Aotaki that both 13:01 wanted them to come and live with them. Of course, he 13:03 couldn't be in two places at once so Henry Williams suggested 13:07 that he build a little hut in each of the places, which is 13:11 what he did and he traveled between the two huts. 13:15 Soon the time came for Henry to return to Paihia. He was 13:20 reluctant to leave such a large and risky mission in the hands 13:23 hands of an inexperienced single man with very poor health. 13:38 I think that when he first arrived at the Par in Kapati 13:43 it must have been quite a shock to him. And he was up at four 13:47 o'clock in the morning and the food would be very different 13:49 from what he was used to. There were insects. Getting used to 13:52 the communal Mauri life must have been pretty tough. 13:56 His accommodation in the initial stages would be his flimsy tent. 14:02 He had to walk many kilometers to reach Mauri in the outlying 14:06 districts. Ill health continued to plague him but Octavius 14:14 Hadfield had made up his mind to commit himself fully to his 14:16 new responsibilities. Several months later furnishings for the 14:23 two small homes he was to build arrived in Kapati along with two 14:29 horses. No longer would Hadfield have to travel on foot. The 14:33 sailing skills Hadfield had learned as a child proved 14:37 invaluable to him. With his mission extending to the top of 14:41 the South Island he sailed across the notorious Cook Strait 14:46 one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world. 14:50 He did this on numerous occasions. Sailing his flimsy 14:54 little craft, sometimes completely on his own, other 14:59 times Mauri who understood the hidden perils in this dangerous 15:03 body of water would accompany him rowing beside him in their 15:07 waka, their canoe. In the North Island, Octavius was thankful 15:13 for his horses. Now he was able to travel even further afield. 15:17 His area of ministry became very large. It stretched over 240 km 15:25 up the coast to Taranaki across Cook Strait in the other 15:31 direction to D'Urville Island and Nelson in the South Island. 15:34 It also stretched many kilometers up the Manawatu River 15:40 across the Rarataka ranges to the Waiananapa and from there 15:45 down to Wellington. As well as using his horses for 15:50 transportation, Hadfield would also jump onto some of the many 15:54 waka canoes that traveled along the coast. Isolated from his own 15:59 people Hadfield's workload was immense, his days usually 16:04 beginning at 4 a.m. His possessions were meager. His 16:09 frugal diet consisted mostly of biscuit, boiled flour and the 16:14 odd fowl. Yet despite all this Octavius Hadfield was a happy 16:20 man. He was working where he wanted to be working, living 16:25 among Mauri and encouraging them to follow in the footsteps 16:31 of Jesus. Hadfield's life became quickly attached to the lives of 16:36 his Mauri friends. A warm relationship developed between 16:40 them and they even referred to him as their father and he 16:45 became recognized as an authority in Mauri customs and 16:49 language. Mauri interest and confidence in the Bible 16:53 continued to grow. Their thirst for books and learning was 16:57 unquenchable. Wherever he went Hadfield was asked for more 17:03 books. He once wrote that if he had 5000 Mauri New Testament 17:08 Bibles they'd all be gone in a fortnight. By 1841 he was 17:14 serving 7000 Mauri and supervising 18 schools 17:21 throughout his large area of ministry. These schools provided 17:25 basic European education and training in agriculture and 17:29 domestic skills. People of all ages were coming to him to learn 17:35 Even the astute and aged chief Te Rauparaha would sit in on the 17:41 church classroom with his slate puzzling over his letters. These 17:47 two men, so completely different to each other, forged 17:50 a strong mutual respect for each other. Often the old chief would 17:55 visit his missionary friend and they'd talk for hours. In June 18:01 1848 Te Rauparaha wrote to Hadfield whom he nicknamed 18:08 Wira about the large church he was having built. 18:42 In the 1844, Hadfield's health deteriorated markedly. He could 18:49 barely walk. His beloved Mauri friends were concerned that 18:53 they lacked the knowledge to cure him and feared they might 18:58 lose him. So they carried him on a simple stretcher all the way 19:02 Kapati to Wellington. They took him to the home of a Christian 19:06 couple Henry and Anne St. Hill. This devoted pair carefully 19:11 attended to the ailing man. Many believed that Octavius 19:18 Hadfield was dying. But Octavius Hadfield stubbornly refused to 19:24 die. Though he was desperately ill and in great pain the 19:30 30-year-old Hadfield clung to life. However, he was to spend 19:35 the next four years in bed. Yet even from here he would not stop 19:40 serving Mauri. From his bed he seemed to know everything that 19:45 was going on among Mauri and was aware of the very pulse of 19:49 the entire country. 20:12 Tumultuous times were developing in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 20:16 A humanitarian and progressive document, The Treaty of Waitangi 20:21 had been signed but not honored by the British colonial 20:24 government and the settlers. Tensions began to arise. As more 20:28 and more injustices against Mauri occurred. Though so very 20:34 ill Hadfield did not waste this period of his life. From his 20:38 sickbed he wrote many articles and letters in defense of Mauri. 20:43 His visitors included Governor George Grey and the Bishop 20:47 New Zealand, Bishop Selwyn. His influence alleviated biases and 20:53 prejudices held against Mauri. Miraculously in mid-1849, 20:59 Hadfield's health dramatically improved and in the spring of 21:04 that year Octavius Hadfield made his joyful return to Kapati 21:09 after an absence of almost five years. Hadfield was given a 21:14 tumultuous welcome and greeted with loud cries of Hadimai when 21:20 he returned to his beloved Mauri at Ranglatea church at Kapati. 21:25 And it would be three years later in Ranglatea church that the 21:28 38-year-old missionary would marry Kate Williams the third 21:33 daughter of his senior missionary mentor Henry Williams 21:37 Kate was born in Aotearoa, New Zealand and was fluent in the 21:40 Mauri language. She was familiar with the strength of Mauri and 21:45 was no stranger to their culture and traditions. Kate had a 21:50 passion for Christian education and having watched her mother 21:52 face the many challenges of missionary life she knew what 21:56 was involved in this kind of career. Her happy disposition 22:00 and passion for the cause made her the perfect partner for 22:05 Octavius Hadfield. After their marriage Octavius continued to 22:10 travel extensively leaving Kate to manage the home and school 22:16 alone. Unlike her mother though Kate did accompany her husband 22:19 on a number of occasions. 22:23 Octavius's main focus of course was his missionary work. That's 22:28 what he came to New Zealand to do, but his view... He couldn't 22:33 separate political from religious. In 1842 after the 22:36 war on Issica, Terapahan Iparanehia was seeking 22:40 retribution from the government. So they planned to create this 22:44 strike on Wellington. Octavius would hear about this, went to 22:47 Wellington to explain to the government. On his way back he 22:49 discovered that Iparanehia was still wanting to attack so he 22:55 met with them half way with Hutamakini's help and they 22:58 stopped it. If they had not stopped it it could have been an 23:00 absolute blood bath. 23:02 Never taking the credit for these successes to himself 23:06 Hadfield would simply exclaim the gospel has displayed its 23:12 power. Octavius Hadfield spoke out bravely throughout his life 23:19 against injustice. He was at times deeply unpopular with both 23:24 secularists and politicians. However the very politicians who 23:30 vilified Octavius were often forced to admit that wars could 23:34 have been avoided and millions of pounds saved if they had 23:37 taken his advice. In spite of often fragile health, Octavius 23:43 Hadfield enjoyed a long life. He became the Bishop of 23:47 Wellington in 1870 and the Primate of New Zealand in 1890. 23:53 He played his part in securing peace and justice for both Mauri 23:58 and Pachea based on mutual respect and equal rights. He 24:02 died in 1904 at the age of 90. These words are inscribed on his 24:08 gravestone where he lies next to his beloved Kate at a 24:12 peaceful graveyard of a small church in Tututatara near 24:17 Wanganui. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. 24:21 Octavius Hadfield is unquestionably one of the great 24:27 New Zealanders of the 19th century. He was a man of 24:31 principle with a strong belief in justice, peace, and living the 24:37 Christian life. Mauri paid him the ultimate accolade in calling 24:44 him Auranatea, chief. Although he suffered ill health and many 24:49 other challenges in life he experienced inner peace, 24:52 happiness and fulfillment that comes from knowing Jesus as 24:57 your friend and Savior. If you'd like to experience that same 25:01 inner peace, happiness and fulfillment in your life, why 25:05 not ask for it now as we pray? 25:08 Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and goodness to us 25:14 and for the continued presence and power of your word, the 25:18 Bible in this sad and broken world. May we allow ourselves 25:23 to be inspired and influenced by your word, the Bible, so that 25:27 we can find the peace and happiness that you planned for 25:31 our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. 25:36 If you are battling with the challenges of life and would 25:44 like to experience the peace, hope and forgiveness that 25:48 changed the lives of the mighty Mauri warriors, that brought 25:51 them true happiness then I'd like to recommend a free gift 25:55 we have for all our viewers today. It's the inspiring 25:59 booklet called The Gospel of Luke. This book is our give to 26:04 you and is absolutely free. There are no costs or 26:09 obligations whatsoever. Thousands have been blessed by 26:13 this book, so please make sure you take this opportunity to 26:17 receive the gift we have for you today. Here's the information 26:21 you need: Phone or text us at 0436333555 in Australia or 26:31 0204222042 in New Zealand or visit our website www.tij.tv to 26:43 request today's free offer and we'll send it to you totally 26:47 free of charge and with no obligation. Write to us at: 27:10 Don't delay. Call or text us now. 27:15 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Aotearoa, New Zealand 27:20 and our reflections on the power of God's word, then be 27:23 sure to join us again next week. Until then remember the ultimate 27:29 destination of life's journey. Now I saw a new heaven and a new 27:33 earth. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 27:37 There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. There shall 27:41 be no more pain for the former things have passed away. 27:49 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-02-09