A Maori Pa

A Maori Pa is a fortified place built by the maoris.

History

The Maori, New Zealand's native people, were originally Polynesian Islanders who discovered New Zealand around the tenth century and migrated there about four hundred years later. Their lives were made significantly more difficult by Captain Cook's arrival in 1769 (they had successfully fended off Abel Tasman previously) and the consequent British colonisation. Disputes between the Maori and the Pakeha (Europeans) raged continuously until the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed by the Maoris in the hope of gaining peace, giving sovereignty to Britain in exchange for protection and guaranteed ownership of their lands - this was later much abused by the British. Fighting between the British and Maoris ensued for many years, it eventually died down but the issues have never been settled, and debates continue to arise today concerning land rights.
The maori people were fierce warriors, many living in fortified villages called a pa