You may have seen the viral video of Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke ripping up a bill and leading a haka in parliament. It brings to mind a fascinating historical connection—how the Māori economy was boosted by gold, thanks to an unlikely hero: a man from Maharashtra.
Before European colonization, the Māori were aware of gold’s existence but didn’t mine it. They had no interest in its economic value. This changed dramatically during the Otago gold rush of the 1860s, New Zealand’s largest gold strike.
Gabriel Read, a gold prospector from Tasmania, is widely credited with discovering Otago’s gold. But the truth is, he wasn’t the first. The credit rightly belongs to a man of Indian origin: Edward Peters.
But, who was Edward Peters? What was he doing in the land of Māori? His story, though largely forgotten, deserves a spotlight.
Born around 1826 in India, his real name is lost to history. He was born in Satara to either a Maratha or mixed-race family and later moved to Bombay (Mumbai) in search of work to escape poverty.
Like many Indians of his time, he took up jobs on ships, which eventually took him to California during the gold rush of the late 1840s. There, he learned basic gold prospecting techniques like panning and cradling.
His life was shaped by his experiences as a sailor, a prospector, and an immigrant. Some accounts suggest that Peters later worked in the Victorian goldfields of Australia.
His life was one of constant movement and search for work. At some point, he adopted the Christian name “Edward Peters,” likely to navigate the colonial world more easily.
By 1853, Peters had arrived in New Zealand aboard the sailing ship Maori. He worked as the ship’s cook but decided to disembark at Port Chalmers, Otago, even though he lacked permission from British authorities to settle in a Crown colony.
Interestingly, Peters wasn’t the first Indian to forge connections with Māori communities. Historical records show that Indian sailors, known as lascars, were among the earliest non-Māori settlers in New Zealand.
These lascars often deserted their ships to live among the Māori. As early as 1810, an Indian man from Bengal married a Māori woman after escaping from a British ship and started living there. Things we do for love.
Others shared skills like navigation and military tactics, and some even integrated deeply into Māori culture, adopting tā moko (highly sacred and traditional tattoos of Māori culture).
Peters married a Māori woman as well and lived among the Māori in Otago. His life was emblematic of the rich, though often overlooked, histories of cross-cultural exchanges that shaped the Pacific region.
Peters lived simply, working as a hut builder, bullock cart driver, and farm laborer. Locals referred to him as “Black Peter,” a name that reflected the racial attitudes of colonial New Zealand.
However, his experience in the California goldfields gave him an eye for gold. While working in the Tuapeka region, he occasionally prospected in streams and rivers, finding gold years before the official discovery.
One such instance occurred in 1857 at Tuapeka. While delivering food to shepherds, Peters crossed the Tuapeka River and used a metal cup to scoop gravel. He found a speck of gold.
Yet, instead of profiting from his discovery, he continued his humble work, never leveraging his findings. While Gabriel Read is credited for the Otago gold rush in 1861, Peters’ humble nature, combined with systemic racism, meant his discovery went unnoticed.
The Otago gold rush transformed New Zealand’s economy, creating opportunities for Māori communities to participate in trade and wealth-building. Yet the man who lit this spark—the man from Maharashtra—remains largely forgotten.
Black Peter eventually died a poor man.
Sources:
Williams, A. (2009). Edward Peters (Black Peter): The Discoverer of the First Workable Goldfield in Otago.
Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke and the haka that’s been seen 700 million times by a worldwide audience. (2024, November 18). NZ Herald. nzherald.co.nz/kahu/hana-rawh
Quaranta, R. (2021, April 5). The story of ‘Black Peter’: the Indian pioneer behind Otago’s gold rush. The Newest Zealander. thenewestzealander.com/people/pioneer
Quaranta, R. (2021b, April 5). The story of ‘Black Peter’: the Indian pioneer behind Otago’s gold rush. The Newest Zealander. thenewestzealander.com/people/pioneer
Black Peter’s Gold Trail – Kiwi Adventures. (2020, September 16). adventure.nunn.nz/2020/09/16/bla paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW1
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