The following has been reproduced with the kind permission of Mr Howard Weddell, author of the book “Soldiers from the Pacific”. Published 2015. ISBN 978-0-473-33830-5. Pages 112 - 118.

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Rarotongans Arrive Home

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The home coming was no doubt a joyous occasion for the soldiers, their families and the Cook Islands communities. For some, the 1st Contingent, their separation had been three and a half years. During their absence things had changed not only within their personal life but within their families and communities.

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The soldiers who returned to the Cook Islands in March 1919 were not the men who had earlier left for New Zealand. They had been trained, paid and treated as New Zealand soldiers. They had travelled to the other side of the world. Some had enjoyed Paris and England, all had seen the sights of the land of the bible and others the less salubrious sights of the Wazza in Cairo. They had seen and felt the pressures of war. They were proud of their victory, their achievements, their uniforms and themselves. They were changed.

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There were many welcomes. The welcomes both traditional and formal provided feasts and bush beer was plentiful. After their final pay the men were wealthy.

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Disturbance

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The political administration of the islands had been altered in 1916 which reduced the level of self-governance and consultation with native Cook Islanders and strengthened the direct administration from New Zealand. This had a tendency to disenfranchise the local native islander from the Cook Islands Administration and assisted in the creation of a 'them and us' society.

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Within the Cook Islands an established business cartel of traders had attempted to control the supply of produce from the Cook Islands and control production costs. Whilst profitable to them, the financial impact upon the islands was severe as costs had increased significantly over the years and the Cook Islands' internal inflation was higher than New Zealand's. The traders were aggressive in maintaining this level of control and resentment was evident within the Cook Island population, especially with those growing fruit and crops. The exploitation of growers by the traders was formally reported upon by the Resident Commissioner, Mr FW Platts. (Reference: Dick Scott, Years of the Pooh-Bah, Hodder & Stoughton, 1991, p145.) 

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As part of the army's discharge procedure each soldier was given a voucher for £5 5s to be used to buy clothing such as a civilian suit. When these were presented in Rarotonga a few of the local traders attempted to require soldiers to spend the entire value of the voucher in their shop and refused to transfer any uncashed balance. The soldiers, who had experienced trading in the bazaars of Egypt and Palestine, took umbrage at this attempt to profit at their expense.

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Manifested from a number of grievances and circumstances, the umbrage grew into a disturbance that for some, was a demonstration of semi-political activism, frustration, revenge and outright hooliganism. However they were still under martial discipline.

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In his report to the Commandant of the New Zealand Forces on 16 March 1919 Captain Bush described the situation and the result:

Sir,
I beg to report the arrival at Rarotonga of my unit on the afternoon of 3 inst [March]. During the voyage there was no sickness, and instructions as to spraying and inhalation were carried out daily.
The troops were given a very hearty reception by the residents, both white and native, and the whole week was spent in attending native welcomes at the different villages. I regret very much to say that at all these gatherings there was ample evidence of bush beer drinking, among both the returned soldiers and civilian natives. The men were paid up on Wednesday and Thursday 5th & 6th and the sum of £4711 was distributed, out of which there was only about £1000 lodged in the Savings Bank.
Up to Saturday 8th inst., the behaviour of the men was very good, and there was not the slightest evidence of trouble brewing. On Sunday 9th we had a large Church Parade when the unit's colours were blessed and handed to the custody of the Church. After the service myself and officers went to a picnic at the invitation of some of the white residents.
On returning to Avarua we heard that some shops had been looted by soldiers and civilians and I immediately went to Jagger & Harvey's store and found that it had been burgled. Corporal Kaitara Toto informed me that he had tried to prevent the crime but could not owing to the numbers opposing him, but was able to identity the leaders, or at least some of them. of them. I immediately placed a Guard on Jaggers store and then sent messages to all the villages warning the men to parade first thing next morning. Corporal Kaitara was rather brutally assaulted by two men, a soldier and a civilian native and had to be taken to the hospital.
On Monday morning there was a very good muster of the Unit and several men were identified and brought before the Court charged with burglary and breaking and entering, and theft. So far six men have been tried and in three cases there was sufficient evidence to convict. Two men have received terms of five years imprisonment to be served in New Zealand, one man has been found guilty and remanded for sentence, while the man who assaulted Corporal Kaitara was fined £10 and six months imprisonment. There are still several more cases to come before the Court, and when these are dealt with I hope to have all the leaders roped in.
The situation on Sunday night was critical, but since the matter has been taken in hand by the Military there has been no further disturbance except a broken window, caused by a single man on his way home under the influence of drink.
Thursday 13th inst saw the Atiu and Mauke portion of the unit away and this relieved the situation considerably as there were several very bad characters among them, but with no evidence against them. I really do not anticipate any further organised outbreak.
I understand the natives have several grievances against the white traders, but these are matters for the Resident Commissioner to deal with, and I have been concerned purely with the Military aspects of the case and maintaining the Law and Order. I have taken all orders from the Resident Commissioner and feel that he is satisfied with what we have done up to the present.
The great majority of the men have responded loyally to the call to duty and we have had ample numbers for Patrol purposes and for guarding the Gaol which was threatened on Monday last. Lieutenants Tangney and Gibbons have rendered me every possible assistance and have carried out their duties in a loyal and untiring manner. I would respectfully bring to your notice the loyalty of Corpl. Kaitara Toto, through whose gameness and devotion to duty we have found it possible to bring at least some of the offenders to justice.
There are two Rarotongans in Wellington, one 19293 Pte. Raki Punoua at present in Featherston hospital, and 19306 Pte. Pani Turua who was absent without leave when the Paloona sailed. As both of these men are very bad characters I would strongly recommend that they be discharged in New Zealand, and so keep them out of the islands where they could make trouble with little or no Police interference.
The Resident Commissioner has instructed me to remain here with my officers in the meantime.
I trust there will be no further trouble. I do not anticipate it. In addition to our returned soldiers about 30 native 'specials' [Special Constables] and about 35 white 'specials' have been sworn in for duty.
I should like to say Sir, that there were native civilians as well as returned soldiers concerned in these troubles. (Reference: Archives New Zealand, AD1, 770, Record 22/239. Courts Martial & Courts of Inquiry - Discipline - Rarotongans.)

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As described by the Resident Commissioner:
In the evening of Sunday a crowd of about 70 men, nearly all returned soldiers, attacked one of the largest stores on the Island. They burst open the doors and windows, smashed the shop fittings, and looted or destroyed the contents. They indicated their intention of looting the remaining stores and spirit bond.
For twenty four hours the settlement was at the mercy of the rioters. By Monday night however we had formed a strong body of Native special constables, a number of better behaved soldiers had placed themselves under their officers and practically every white man on the Island had offered their services and was sworn in as a special constable. (Reference: Report on the Rarotonga Riots by Resident Commissioner Mr FW Platts to the New Zealand House of Representatives, 10
September 1919.)

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The effect of the disturbance upon the Cook Island Administration was profound. On the morning after the disturbance the Resident Commissioner cabled the Governor of the French Colonies of Oceania and Papeete asking if they could assist the Cook Islands by providing the French Dispatch Boat Kersaint. This support did not occur as the Kersaint had accidentally run aground in the French Territories and was not available. The French Consul General based in Auckland formally apologised to the Governor General of New Zealand that this support was unavailable.

In order to maintain order the Resident Commissioner FW Platts swore in some of the white residents and soldiers as Special Constables, 40 in total, and agreed to pay 10s per night as well as provide their rations. These special constables were on duty from 10 through to 27 March 1919. Their role was to provide a presence and guard sensitive areas such as Government buildings and locations such as the Bond Store and Jagger & Harvey's general store. Detachments of this Constabulary were maintained at Titikaveka, Avarua, Arorangi and Tiniraus. In providing these special constables the Island Administration incurred additional costs which totalled £515 14s 8d which the Cook Islands Administration had not budgeted for.

A special sitting of the Cook Islands Courts was held and on 19 March 1919 20 men were charged with 12 found guilty of a variety of crimes. The Resident Commissioner advised Wellington that as well as convictions and sentences to be served in Rarotonga, some of the ring leaders of the disturbance had been convicted, and due to the length of their sentence would be transported to New Zealand to serve their sentences.

The news of the incident reached the public of New Zealand and was widely reported in exaggerated form. As reported in the Wellington newspaper Evening Post:
Rarotongan Soldiers - Men Wreck Shops and Stores, News from Rarotonga stated that three hundred returned Native soldiers broke into the shops and stores, which were wrecked, and took away or damaged goods to the value of 1,000. The sergeant of police quelled the disturbance with his revolver.  The steamer Flora was commandeered to convey the soldiers to their homes in the various islands. (Reference: Evening Post, 24 March 1919, p11)

Two of the ring leaders were quickly transported to New Zealand. On 25 March 1919 the New Zealand Provost Marshall advised the assistant Provost Marshall in Wellington that he would be required to have military police meet the vessel SS Moana. They were to take in to custody John Ropu and Metua Paitai who had been each sentenced to imprisonment in New Zealand for burglary by night and breaking and entering Jagger & Harvey's store in Rarotonga. The military police escorted them to HM Prison in Wellington prior to being moved Invercargill. The Provost Marshall also instructed that the military escorts should be armed. (Reference: Archives NZ, AD1, 770, Record 22/239. Letter to AMP Wellington from Provost Marshall, 25 March 1919.)

Two further rioters were identified, Mouturi and Iona Toroa, who were sentenced to serve imprisonment in Rarotonga jail for rioting and damaging property.

A month later the Resident Commissioner advised Wellington that the conduct of the returned soldiers was satisfactory. The Administration had completed all the prosecutions and a further four more prisoners had been dispatched on SS Paloona to serve their sentence in New Zealand. He also noted that a number of the soldiers had married since their return and that this should "help steady them" and he expected no further trouble.

 

Tellingly he identified a cause of the grievances that led to the disturbance as:

One grave mistake that led to a lot of trouble, was the issue here of some 240 Mufti-orders for civilian clothing to the value of £5 5s in each case. The idea was to supply one good suit to each man. These orders certainly should have been issued in New Zealand. Anyone who has seen the men's clothing stocked in the island stores here, know how difficult it would be to find even half a dozen decent suits in the whole lot. But there were 240 five guinea suits orders. Some stores supplied a few articles and gave the soldiers change for the balance unexpended. Others refused to give any change, and, having once got the order, insisted that the soldiers should take the full value of the order in clothing. Naturally there was a great deal of waste and much dissatisfaction amongst the men. (Reference: Archives NZ, AD1, 770, Record 22/239. Memorandum to Minister in Charge Cook Islands Administration from Resident Commissioner, 17 April 1919.)

The Resident Commissioner obviously identified the issues surrounding a very limited number of traders vying for vouchers that could only be cashed through traders for clothing. The amount was not insignificant as in 2015 inflation figures the value for the 240 clothing vouchers approximates to $125,000.

A total of £1,230 was paid to traders whose stores were looted. Initially the military was reluctant to take responsibility for the cost as it was suggested that it was a civil disturbance however it was quickly pointed out that the soldiers were in fact on disembarkation leave until their final formal discharge on 20 March 1919. This damage was paid from the New Zealand Defence 1919 and 1920 Treasury supplements.

In 1920 the Island Administration was still faced with unbudgeted expenditure of  £515 14s 8d. As a number of individuals had been convicted on various charges or who were suspected of crimes resulting from the disturbance, it was proposed to Defence that these men should not be paid their war gratuity. Instead the gratuity should be transferred to the Island Administration as recompense for the costs incurred by the disturbance.

This was agreed and the money, which had just been deposited into the soldiers Post Office accounts in Auckland, for the seven convicted ex-soldiers totalled £326 7s 9d and their accounts were frozen. However before this could be completed, both Mauturi Metuamate and Toroa Tongia had withdrawn all money deposited in their names which totalled £98 38 9d. It was not until July 1922 that Defence finally credited the Post Office with this loss.