Barbara Francis: The Battle for Rangiriri, 20 November 1863 & the Aftermath

Barbara Francis recently published her third book Titus Angus White & the Māori Captives on Waitematā Harbour 1863/4. In this presentation, Barbara discussed the aftermath of the battle for Rangiriri — repercussions that continued well into 1864 and still rankle with descendants today.

Titus Angus White and the Māori Captives on Waitematā Harbour

In retirement, Barbara Francis embarked on a new career as a researcher and has now had her third book published. Titus Angus White & the Māori Captives on Waitematā Harbour 1863/4 emerged from family history research in 2020, involving her great-great-grandfather, Titus Angus White.

Needing further information about his life, Barbara visited Rangiriri in north Waikato where she had a most fortuitous meeting with senior iwi member, Brad Totorewa. It was Brad who challenged Barbara to write about what she found for Pākehā to know. Her book was launched in Wellington in 2023, 160 years after the battle for Rangiriri.

Her previous books, produced in 2010 and 2017, were both about Agnes Moncrieff, a Wellington YWCA Secretary who worked with the YWCA of China in 1930-1945.