Samuel Marsden, he accompanied them on ship the Brampton from Sydney to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand where they arrived at Kerikeri on 7 August 1823.

[11][12] The members of the mission were under the protection of Hongi Hika, the rangatira (chief) and war leader of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe).

The immediate protector of the Paihia mission was the chief Te Koki and his wife Ana Hamu, a woman of high rank and the owner of the land occupied by the mission at Paihia [13][14][15] In 1827 Hongi Hika lead the Ngāpuhi against the tribes at Whangaroa which caused anxiety amongst the missionaries as they feared they would be caught up in the fighting.

[16] The fears of the missionaries were increased when some of the warriors of Hongi Hika, acting contrary to his orders, plundered and burnt the Wesleyan mission at Whangaroa.

[17] During a skirmish Hongi Hika was shot in the chest by one of his warriors, which resulted in the missionaries fearing that they would suffer in the event that a muru occurred following his death (an attack launched out of respect for a deceased chief).

[18] On 6 March 1828 Hongi Hika spent his last moments "exhorting his followers to be valiant, and repel any force, however great, which might come against them - telling them this was all the utu, or satisfaction, that he desired".

The missionary work of Henry Williams and his attempts to act as peacemaker in intertribal conflicts meant that he spent months at a time travelling through the North Island of New Zealand.

Marianne trained and supervised the teachers, who included the wives of other CMS missionaries, her daughters, nieces or future daughters-in-law.

[28] The domestic responsibilities of Marianne extended beyond her large family and included Māori and Pākehā visitors to the mission as well as providing assistance to other CMS members in Paihia, Kerikeri and Waimate North.