 Later he became increasingly intolerant and dogmatic in his views as he clashed with the government.He lived in an age when the early influence of missionaries had declined.Following the Wairau Affray in 1843, where a confrontation between Te Rauparaha and group of settlers left twenty-two Europeans dead, many settlers believed an attack on then thinly populated Wellington was possible and Hadfield was seen as a peacemaker preventing the spread of hostilities.