5/5
Review by Michele E. Hawkins.
Aotearoa New Zealand, 1864. The British have broken their agreement with the Māori that the land of the Waikato region of the North Island lies under the protection of the Māori king, sending in a military force to crush the Māori and force them to swear allegiance to Queen Victoria. This incursion leads to the siege of Ōrākau Pā, a key battle in the Māori Wars.
Ka Whawhai Tonu: Struggle Without End is the story of the siege and ensuing brutal battle at Ōrākau Pā, led by the Maniapoto tribe’s chief, Rewi Maniapoto (Temuera Morrison), a cool-headed man of wisdom and courage.
Chief Rewi Maniapoto was in fact renowned and venerated for these qualities, along with his diplomatic and oratory skills, and the movie opens with discussion between him and leader of an allied tribe, the Tūhoe: Te Whenuanui (Te Wakanua Te Kurapa). Believing that he and his warriors can prevail without reinforcements, Te Whenuanui wants to take the British on without delay.
Aware, though, of the stark differences in weaponry between the British and the Māori, Rewi advises temporary retreat, delaying engagement until reinforcements arrive from further neighbouring tribes. This advice meets with fierce resistance from Te Whenuanui and his followers — and, under relentless pressure, Rewi finally agrees to the building of the Ōrākau Pā (fortified stockade) from which the Māori will take on the British.
And take on the British they do, with all the bravery and ferocity for which Māori warriors are known — but with the all-too-familiar outcomes.
But Ka Whawhai Tonu: Struggle Without End is also the story of two young people caught up in the battle at Ōrākau Pā: Haki (Paku Fernandez), a foreign Māori boy held captive, and Kōpū (Hinerangi Harawira-Nicholas), a seeress through whom the Māori god of war speaks.
Though not friends, Haki and Kōpū share a desire to be free of the futures designated to them. For Kōpū, it’s her ambitious, violent mother, Tūrama (Miriama Te Rangimarie Smith), who rules her life. For Haki, it’s his Pākehā (British) soldier father, Daniel Morgan (Jason Flemyng), demanding his obedience in ruthless subjugation of the Māori.
As the battle intensifies and Haki’s and Kōpū’s situations worsen, they find themselves having to make monumental decisions, not only for themselves but alsofor the very young whose lives come to depend on those decisions. But can there really be trust between them when there hasn’t been honesty?
Ka Whawhai Tonu: Struggle Without End elegantlycaptures many of the challenges faced by Māori under the tyranny of colonisation, including the costs of assimilation; the clash between traditional beliefs and Christianity, as depicted deftly by the priest Wi Toka (Cliff Curtis) standing on the battlefield amongst his Māori brothers, brandishing his Bible; the loss of identity by those who are both Māori and Pākehā but accepted by neither; and the inevitability of might over right.
Offering outstanding performances all round and subtly revealing traditional Māori thought and worldview in the re-creation of a historic event, Ka Whawhai Tonu: Struggle Without End presents a vision of what the world was like for Māori on the brink of British colonial domination, as well as the power of courage, loyalty, and love.
Screening at Dendy cinemas.