Henry Williams (“Te Wiremu”) leader of the CMS missionaries in New Zealand, laid the foundations of the Maori Anglican Church. Henry had some training in shipbuilding and medicine, he had served in the Royal Navy, leading him to being a peacemaker. He had a forceful but disciplined personality, and a stubborn faithfulness to his Lord.

1818: Henry married Marianne Coldham then offered his services as a missionary to the Church Missionary Society (CMS). They spent 4 years training in preparation to be missionaries in New Zealand.

1822: Henry was ordained as a Minister.

1823: Henry & Marianne Williams arrived in the Bay of Islands and took charge. Missionaries had been 10 years in New Zealand, but they had bitter personal disputes, were dependent on the Maori for food and supplies leading to a trade in muskets and not a single Maori had been converted. Henry turned things around. A concerted effort was made to learn Te Reo, the translation of the Scriptures and Prayer Book was carried forward. Schools were established and every opportunity was taken to share the gospel.

Henry refused to be intimidated by threats or Maori plundering parties. His attitude earned him respect (mana) among the Maori. By the late 1820s he was intervening in intertribal disputes which only someone with great mana could do, it required even greater mana to be successful which Henry was on several occasions. As his mana grew, so did the missions influence. Williams supervised the start of several new mission stations at Tauranga, Wanganui, and Waikanae. It was a remarkable period of development and spiritual growth.

1840: Henry Williams was the official interpreter of the Treaty of Waitangi. The arrival of European colonists, brought trouble. Henry wanted the rule of British law as a protection for Maori against unscrupulous land deals and general lawlessness.

1844: Appointed archdeacon of Waimate.

1849: Criticized by Governor Grey for his land purchases on behalf of his family, he defended his position ignoring the advice of Bishop Selwyn to give up his lands. He was fired by the CMS and settled at Pakaraka (the land in question), he remained archdeacon of the Church. He was reinstated by the CMS in 1854.

1860s: During the New Zealand Wars, Henry took no part in the public debates but privately was critical of the government. His concern was for Maori, and he ministered faithfully to them for 40 years. He was buried in the churchyard at Pakaraka. His family built a new church at Paihia as a memorial to him. It was dedicated on 17 November 1873. Maori erected a stone cross in the churchyard, it reads:

BORN: 11 February 1792, Gosport, Hampshire, England.

DIED:16 July 1867, Pakaraka, New Zealand.