The Murimotu-Rangipo district was favourably viewed by European settlers in the early 1870s because of its grasslands and "vital position in opening up the interior from the Whanganui side" and it was hoped that leasing this area would lead to later purchases. Various leasing negotiations were made in 1872 and 1873 but governmental negotiators spoke of considerable delay as a result of "dissensions amongst the claimants" and it was felt that the only way to resolve these difficulties was to have the land surveyed and passed through the Native Land Court. The issue was discussed at a meeting in Wellington in September 1874, by which time the Murimotu Block of 46 000 acres had been surveyed and passed through the Native Land Court. It was eventually agreed that this block was to be leased to the Government for a fee of £10 per 1000 acres for 14 years and then £11 per 1000 for a following seven years though Te Keepa had requested a yearly rent that would rise every five years (started at sixpence per acre). Te Keepa's decision to lease the Murimotu block to the government provoked debate amongst the various groups with interests in the region including Ngati Tamakopiri, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Whitikaupeka, Ngati Te Ika, Patutokotoko and Rangituhia. The issue of the Murimotu block was discussed at hui in 1876 at Ranana and Aomarama and Te Keepa outlined the reasons why he approved the Government lease. The leasing of the Ruanui block (40 000 acres), Rangiwaea block (15 000 acres), and inland block at Patea (100 000 acres) was also discussed at these hui but there was considerable opposition from chiefs such as Hohepa Tamanuiti of Ngati Tuwharetoa who preferred to wait until such time as the Native Land Court had decided title. Lease negotiator James Buller wrote to the Under-Secretary of the Native Affairs Department in 1877, stating that given the current feeling amongst the Murimotu and Wanganui iwi and the absence of any survey of hapu boundaries,"it is useless to attempt to make further negotiations for the present". Maori in favour of selling or leasing could apply to the Native Land Court however for an investigation of title and land in the Murimotu Block began going through the Native Land Court in 1877: "despite Buller's statement that land purchase negotiations should be suspended until Maori were more willing to engage in them, and despite continued concern about the effects of alienation on Maori, land fell to the land court system, leases were obtained and validated, and purchases were made". The experiences of Wanganui Maori in the 1870s had strengthened their resolve over the control of their land and the 1880s bore witness to "determined and strenuous efforts to regain this authority". There were a series of land disputes in the Murimotu-Rangipo region in the early 1880s and in two instances the commencement of European survey work led to the arrival of armed forces from outside the inland Patea district and the subsequent construction of earthworks by the local iwi as defensive measures. One of these instances took place in early 1880 when Ngati Whitikaupeka and Ngati Tamakopiri of Moawhango constructed gunfighter pa at Waiu in response to the threat of Te Keepa, Ngati Rangi and upper Wanganui iwi who had occupied the south-eastern portion of the Rangipo-Waiu block: "The survey dispute was in 1880; it took place at Waiu and Auahitotara, between Winiata & Te Oti, and Kemp and their tribes. These were disputing with N'Tama and N'Whiti. Kemp was accompanied by N'rangituhia. Their pa was at Auahitotara; this pa was built last year, by N'rangituhia, including Te Oti, Winiata & Kemp. They came to take the land; they had guns. N'tama also took up arms. This was the first time I saw N'rangituhia on this land". Te Keepa had taken up arms 'in defence' of his interests in this area in response to the Government's attempts to undertake a comprehensive survey. Captain Mair was sent to the area in late 1879 with the task of carrying on with the survey of Te Waiu but Te Keepa was proposing a survey of the 'Rohe Potae' (King Country) first. Ngati Whitikaupeka and Ngati Rangi strongly objected to Te Keepa's plans and wished to carry on with the Waiu survey as soon as Kennedy (the surveyor) returned from Napier. Captain Mair arranged several meetings between the disputing parties in an attempt to resolve the situation without success. He had intended to leave for Wanganui on January 6th 1880 but felt that he had to stay and "shepherd Kemp or he will stop the survey". Captain Mair's diary over the ensuing weeks provides a fascinating insight into the conflict between the local iwi and Te Keepa's forces at Auahitotara and construction of Waiu Pa (see Appendix 3). An excerpt from his diary on Wednesday February 18th 1880 reads: "old Wiki came from Riu a puanga [?] saying that Ngatiwhiti 42 in number had established themselves at Waiu - that he saw them there". Mair visited Waiu himself on Sunday February 22nd where he found "Ngatiwhiti and Ngatitama about 45 strong besides a dozen women. They have built a fine pa and got it well rifle-pitted". On Sunday February 22nd 1880, Captain Mair wrote: "I had a korero with Ngatiwhiti, regretting that they had been led away by K's forces? into building a pa". They explained that building the pa was only for the purpose of defending themselves - that they were naturally exasperated at Kemp's threat's made to a reputation of this people who went to Ngamatia to 'Houhou Te Rongo' namely Kerei Tanguru - Te Oti Tamaiti Ropoama and Rihionia". Kemp told these people that his quarrel was now with the govt who were trying to steal his land ...I replied that I could not blame them for defending their own property and that of their European family?, at the same time I regretted that they had occupied Te Waiu". Captain Mair's diary indicates that Te Keepa was threatening to drive the sheep of European runholders such as Moorhouse and Studholme off the Murimotu Block that was in dispute. Te Keepa asked Ngati Whitikaupeka to remove their sheep so that the land would be free for him to fight the government and he and his forces also threatened to set fire to the wool sheds and wool washing apparatus of the European settlers. These events never occurred but Te Keepa did prevent the transportation of the Karioi wool belonging to run holders Moorhouse and Studholme during the dispute. It is apparent from further diary entries that Captain Mair continued in his attempts to diffuse the situation between Te Keepa's forces and Ngati Tamakopiri and Ngati Whitikaupeka. On Sunday February 28th Captain Mair wrote Te Keepa a long letter stating that he had sent back the surveyor and "begged him to be more reasonable". Captain Mair received word on Tuesday March 9th 1880 that Te Keepa had lost his government appointments as a Land Purchase Officer and assessor in the Resident Magistrate's Court. Diary entries on Tuesday 16th March and Sunday 21st March 1880 indicate that Te Keepa was being much more reasonable, stating that he "would not go to exchanges? unless the Ngatiwhiti attack him, and that he will not interfere with the sheep on the 46 000 acre block". On March 10th 1880, Captain Mair received a letter from land purchase officer James Booth urging him to return to Whanganui. He left the Murimotu-Rangipo district on March 27th 1880 and it appears that the gunfighter pa at Waiu and Auahitotara were abandoned not long after his departure. Steedman (n.d.) notes that the Maori missionary Herekau acted as a negotiator between the two opposing parties, and that peace was made. Te Keepa changed his focus after being relieved of his official duties and set about establishing a Maori land trust throughout inland Wanganui in September 1880. Henare Keepa stated in his evidence to the Maori Land Court on May 16th 1881 that there was no one at Auahitotara when they were travelling through to the Taupo Court. Waiu Pa was first observed by archaeologists from the air on June 20th 1954 and was eventually located on the ground after several extensive searches. It was recorded as an archaeological site on November 31st 1959 by Tony Batley of Moawhango, Taihape and a basic sketch map was drawn, with a more accurate survey intended at a later date. A noticeboard was produced for Waiu by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1962 but was still not erected in 1967 when Tony Batley revisited the site. It appears that the noticeboard was either lost in transit or misplaced upon receipt at Waiouru.

T21/1: T21/1 is an open gunfighter's pa, defended along three sides by a ditch and bank, with a bank and rifle pits in the N.N.E. corner. The defensive perimeter of the pa measures approximately 33 m in length and is 14m wide at the N.N.E. end and 21m wide at the S.S. E. end. There is a solitary rifle trench and pit located roughly 12m to the south-west of the main defensive area and a whare floor roughly 20m to the south-east of the main defensive area, with a raised bank along three sides. The entrance to the pa is located at the S.S.E. end, and consists of an undug causeway across the ditch. Within the defensive perimeter is a central rectangular area, approximately 6m x 25m with an offset whare floor measuring 8m x 4.5m, approximately. This central area is sunken at a depth of 0.5m to 1.1m and is connected to the main defensive perimeter via rifle trenches on two sides. The larger rectangle is buttressed in locations, and these buttresses have been interpreted as further subdivisions for whare. Whilst the overall design is typical of gunfighter pa dating to the mid to late 1860s, the fully enclosed whare floor is regarded as unusual, as whare typically open directly onto the trench perimeter in other pa. An in situ palisade was recorded in dense vegetation on the central rectangular area during a recent visit to the site by NZHPT archaeologists. T21/2: T21/2 is less clearly defined than T21/1 but the key features are still visible. There is a central sunken rectangular area c. 12m x 13.7m with an in situ palisade at the southern end. This palisade measured 14.5cm x 14.5cm and stood 21cm above the ground. The central rectangular area is surrounded by a bank measuring up to 1m high in places, outside of which is an irregular perimeter of rifles trenches and pits. A number of fallen palisade posts were also noted lying around the exterior of the central area during a visit in the mid 1990's and some of these are still visible today. A possible whare floor (c. 6m x 4m) was located roughly to the southeast of T21/2 and has a raised bank on three sides.