Te Kooti's War was among the last of the New Zealand Wars, ending a decades-long period of armed conflict between Māori and colonial settlers.
Key Facts
- Duration
- 1868 to 1872
- Expeditions by colonial forces
- More than 30
- Escaped prisoners with Te Kooti
- Almost 200 Māori prisoners and families
- Reward for Te Kooti's capture
- 5000 GBP
- Followers captured and executed at Ngātapa
- Over 100
- Te Kooti formally pardoned
- February 1883
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki escaped British internment on the Chatham Islands with nearly 200 Māori prisoners and their families. Upon returning to the East Coast, his party was pursued by militia, government troops, and Māori volunteers, prompting an ambush in which Te Kooti's force seized arms, ammunition, and horses, igniting the wider conflict.
From 1868 to 1872, Te Kooti's followers waged a guerrilla war across the East Coast, central North Island, and Bay of Plenty against colonial and allied Māori forces. The war involved over 30 government expeditions and included the Poverty Bay raid, the siege at Ngātapa, and sustained campaigns into Tūhoe territory, with Te Kooti consistently evading capture despite dwindling numbers.
Te Kooti ultimately gained sanctuary with the Māori king in 1872 and settled in the King Country, where he developed the Ringatū faith. He was formally pardoned in 1883 and died in 1893. The conflict resulted in the destruction of Tūhoe crops and villages, the execution of over 100 of his followers, and is now widely condemned as an abuse of law and human rights.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki.