"E hoa, ka whawhai tonu mātou, Āke! Āke! Āke! Friend, we will fight on forever, forever and forever!"

NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui

The 1863 invasion of the Waikato was the defining conflict of New Zealand, reinforcing the Crown’s power, entrenching one of Aotearoa’s oldest political institutions (the Kiingitanga) and resulting in land confiscations that continue to shape New Zealand today.