Because of the inland location of Ngāti Maru, they had limited contact with Europeans during the 1840s and the 1850s. They were not involved in the land dealings which led to the war in Taranaki in 1860 and were not directly involved in the subsequent fighting. Their involvement was limited to providing refuge to Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitāke in accordance with the requirements of whanaungatanga, and then it all changed. When the Crown confiscated huge tracts of Taranaki to punish so-called rebels in 1865, approximately half of the traditional lands of Ngāti Maru were included. Many of their main kāinga, urupā, and wāhi tapu were taken, and some have never been returned. 