Wayne Paul Poetry

Maori Hau Hau

A religo-military cult of warriors who fought the British on New Zealand's North Island during the third Taranaki War (1864-1872).  They thought themselves immune to bullets, and waged a fanatically-brutal guerrilla campaign against the British military who sought to annex new territory for the British East India Company.   Their hit-and-run ambush tactics enraged and terrified British troops and, combined with the desperate nature and longevity of the conflict, led to harsh reprisal and proportionately devastating losses for both sides.  The Third Taranaki War ended in stalemate;  the British did gain control large portions of traditional Maori land, largely because starvation and disease plagued the native people, but the Maori did retain some semblance of cultural hegemony in an unconquered corner of North Island.  The Maori Hau Hau, warring to defend their sacred homeland and proud identity against an invader, helped to check the imperial-expansionist objectives of the powerful British Empire.