Episodes

  • The Dog Tax War: Maori Resistance in the Far North — Fexingo History

    The Dog Tax War: Maori Resistance in the Far North — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In 1898, a small band of Māori in New Zealand's remote Hokianga region took up arms against the Crown. Not over land, but over a tax on dogs. The Dog Tax War — or Te Pakanga o ngā Kurī — was a brief, almost comical conflict that nonetheless exposed deep grievances. Lucas and Luna explore how a seemingly trivial levy became a flashpoint for Maori sovereignty, the role of the prophet Rua Kenana's influence in the north, and the brutal aftermath for the ringleaders. They delve into the politics of the Maori Councils Act 1900, the impact of the Native Land Court, and the story of Hōne Heke Ngāpua, the politician who defused the crisis. A forgotten chapter in New Zealand's colonial history that reveals the quiet desperation of a people pushed to the edge.

    #DogTaxWar #Hokianga #MaoriResistance #RuaKenana #HoneHekeNgapua #TePakangaONgaKuri #NewZealandHistory #ColonialNewZealand #TeTiriti #MaoriCouncils #NativeLandCourt #MaoriSovereignty #1898 #Northland #Kaitaia #FexingoHistory #History #Oceania #Maori #TreatyOfWaitangi

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    6 mins
  • Tūhoe and the Crown: The Urewera Blockades — Fexingo History

    Tūhoe and the Crown: The Urewera Blockades — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In the dense forests of the Urewera Mountains, the Tūhoe people resisted colonization long after other iwi had been militarily defeated. This episode explores the Crown's campaign to open the 'District of the Urewera' to settlement through the Urewera District Native Reserve Act 1896, and the violent aftermath when Tūhoe refused to yield their ancestral lands. We follow the story of Rua Kēnana, the Māori prophet who established a separatist community at Maungapōhātua, and the armed police raid of 1916 that saw him arrested amid gunfire. We also discuss the 1894 'Urewera Commission' that sought to adjudicate land ownership, the 1916 Crown apology, and the long wait for justice until the 2014 Tūhoe settlement. This is a tale of legal manipulation, spiritual resistance, and the enduring mana of Tūhoe.

    #THoe #Urewera #RuaKNana #MaungapHTua #LandConfiscation #ColonialNewZealand #MOriResistance #CrownApology #NewZealandHistory #WaitangiTribunal #Blockades #ProphetMovements #MOriLand #19thCentury #20thCentury #OceaniaHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Maori #TreatyOfWaitangi

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    5 mins
  • Parihaka: The Prophet and the Ploughshares — Fexingo History

    Parihaka: The Prophet and the Ploughshares — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In the 1880s, the Māori settlement of Parihaka became a symbol of nonviolent resistance against colonial land confiscations. Led by the prophets Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi, the community employed passive tactics like ploughing confiscated land and removing survey pegs. On November 5, 1881, over 1,500 armed troops invaded Parihaka, arresting leaders and exiling them to the South Island. This episode explores the philosophy of Parihaka, the invasion, and the legacy of its peaceful protest, including the story of Rua Kēnana and the later events at Maungapōhatu. We also touch on the Crown's apology in the 21st century, official acknowledgments of wrongful acts, and the ongoing journey of reconciliation.

    #Parihaka #TeWhiti #TohuKakahi #MOriResistance #Nonviolence #LandConfiscation #NewZealandHistory #Colonialism #MaungapHatu #RuaKenana #PloughingProtests #1881Invasion #WaitangiTribunal #Reconciliation #MOriProphets #History #FexingoHistory #Oceania #Maori #TreatyOfWaitangi

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    6 mins
  • The Māori King Movement: Uniting Tribes Against Colonisation — Fexingo History

    The Māori King Movement: Uniting Tribes Against Colonisation — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins and impact of the Māori King Movement (Kīngitanga) in 1850s New Zealand. They discuss how Waikato tribes, led by figures like Pōtatau Te Wherowhero and his son Tāwhiao, sought to unite iwi under a single sovereign to resist land sales and assert Māori authority. The conversation covers the election of Pōtatau as the first Māori King, the establishment of a parliament and laws at Ngāruawāhia, and the escalating tensions with the British Crown that led to the Invasion of the Waikato in 1863. Lucas explains the role of the Kīngitanga flag, the influence of Governor George Grey, and the eventual exile of Tāwhiao and his people. The episode highlights the movement's enduring legacy as a symbol of Māori unity and resistance.

    #MOriKingMovement #KNgitanga #PTatauTeWherowhero #TWhiao #Waikato #InvasionOfTheWaikato #NewZealandHistory #MOriHistory #ColonialResistance #GeorgeGrey #NgRuawHia #MOriSovereignty #LandWars #19thCentury #IndigenousResistance #TreatyOfWaitangi #History #FexingoHistory #Maori #PolynesianSettlers

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    5 mins
  • The Treaty of Waitangi: Maori and the Birth of New Zealand — Fexingo History

    The Treaty of Waitangi: Maori and the Birth of New Zealand — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    This week, Lucas and Luna delve into the Treaty of Waitangi, signed on February 6, 1840, between the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs. They explore the lead-up to the treaty, including the role of James Busby, the 1835 Declaration of Independence, and the influence of the New Zealand Company's colonisation schemes. The conversation covers key figures like William Hobson, who drafted the treaty, and the crucial differences between the English and Maori versions, particularly around the concept of 'kawanatanga' (governorship) versus 'rangatiratanga' (chieftainship). They discuss the treaty's immediate aftermath, the debate at Waitangi, and how it was signed around the country from February to September 1840. The episode also touches on the controversial 'Littlewood Treaty' and the ongoing impact of the treaty, including the work of the Waitangi Tribunal established in 1975. Lucas and Luna reflect on how the Treaty of Waitangi is both a founding document and a source of contention in modern New Zealand, embodying the tensions between partnership and sovereignty.

    #TreatyOfWaitangi #Waitangi #Maori #NewZealandHistory #WilliamHobson #JamesBusby #HenryWilliams #Kawanatanga #Rangatiratanga #Colonisation #BritishEmpire #1840 #WaitangiTribunal #Biculturalism #Oceania #FexingoHistory #History #Treaty #LandWars #PolynesianSettlers

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    7 mins
  • The Musket Wars: Maori Power Transformed — Fexingo History

    The Musket Wars: Maori Power Transformed — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In the early 19th century, Māori society was reshaped by a devastating new weapon: the musket. This episode traces the Musket Wars (c. 1807–1842), a series of intertribal conflicts that erupted after European contact. We focus on the extraordinary figure of Hongi Hika, the Ngāpuhi chief who pioneered musket warfare. After trading for firearms with the British, Hongi launched campaigns that killed tens of thousands and shifted tribal boundaries across the North Island. We explore the strategic use of the musket, the collapse of traditional pā fortifications, the phenomenon of 'musket slaves', and the lasting impact on iwi power dynamics. The episode also considers the moral complexities: how Māori adapted European technology to centuries-old patterns of utu (revenge) and mana, and how the wars inadvertently paved the way for British colonisation by weakening Māori resistance. Names and places covered include: Hongi Hika, Ngāpuhi, Kororāreka (Russell), Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands), Te Rākau, and the Waikato tribes. A nuanced look at a violent but transformative era in Aotearoa's history.

    #MusketWars #HongiHika #NgPuhi #MaoriHistory #NewZealandHistory #Aotearoa #KororReka #BayOfIslands #Utu #Mana #Pa #Muskets #ColonialNewZealand #19thCentury #IndigenousWarfare #TreatyOfWaitangi #History #FexingoHistory #Maori #LandWars

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    7 mins
  • The First Canoe: Polynesian Discovery of New Zealand — Fexingo History

    The First Canoe: Polynesian Discovery of New Zealand — Fexingo History
    Apr 23 2026
    This pilot episode of The History of New Zealand: Maori Power and Colonial Change opens with a vivid scene: a Polynesian voyaging canoe, the waka hourua, sights the cloud-shrouded peaks of Aotearoa for the first time, likely in the 13th century. Lucas and Luna explore the great Pacific migration that brought the ancestors of Māori from Hawaiki to these islands, guided by stars, currents, and the flight of birds. They discuss the legend of Kupe, the navigator said to have made the first discovery, and the archaeological evidence that confirms Polynesian settlement around 1280 CE. The conversation weaves together oral tradition and scientific dating, highlighting the sophisticated maritime knowledge of the voyagers—how they read swells, cloud formations, and bird behavior. Lucas explains how these early settlers adapted to a temperate climate vastly different from tropical Polynesia, developing new crops like the kumara and building fortified pā. The episode sets up key themes for the series: the evolution of Māori culture, the concept of mana and tapu, and the eventual collision with European explorers. Listeners glimpse the rich, complex world that existed long before the first Dutch or British ships arrived—a world of tribal alliance, warfare, and deep spiritual connection to the land. The conversation ends on a reflective note, wondering what it must have felt like to stand on that first beach, knowing you had crossed the greatest ocean on Earth.

    #NewZealandHistory #MaoriHistory #PolynesianMigration #WakaHourua #Kupe #Aotearoa #PacificNavigation #Kumara #Mana #Tapu #Archaeology #OralTradition #Settlement #13thCentury #Hawaiki #OceanicHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Maori #TreatyOfWaitangi

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    7 mins