Yep, new period, weird period again. It's the fault of the guys down at EHQ, especially Bruce (a real Kiwi), who brought his collection of l5mm figures by Military Miniatures of New Zealand. The interest grew over time, by reading what little I could find and talking with Bruce. When he put the collection up for sale at a really great price, I soon fell prey to the chance. Of course, I had to "touch them up" a bit, and I want some additional figures for the earlier era, but what I have now is very useable.

The next problem was finding out about these wars. Although bits could be obtained from the Osprey books (Victoria's Enemies: Australia and Asia, and British Armv 1845-1853), it was precious little. A trip to the library brought some general knowledge, but Colonial Conquest: Maori Wars Special Edition brought some background and battle info. (PS, Vince Rowe's article in MWAN #79 gives four more titles, Thanks).

What follows is a quick overview based on my information so far. The Maori Wars began as so many wars have begun between Europeans and native populations; fancy verbiage in a treaty to take advantage of an "uneducated, primitive" people, for the government's enrichment. The treaty, which robbed the Maori of control over the sale of their own lands, inevitably brought conflict. The British then compounded their error by completely underestimating the military abilities of the Maori, especially their ability to entrench themselves.

The Maori had conducted a unique form of internecine warfare for generations, quite effectively, thank you very much Mr. Englishman! Maori warfare consisted, primarily, of a very deadly form of "King of the Hill."

One side would build a Pa (fort) on raised ground, usually with unturnable flanks if possible. The Pa consisted of a series of trenches (later adding blast walls, covered approaches, and bunkers). The Europeans brought firearms into a warfare that had not used missile weapons. Firearms changed the Maroi way of combat, they improved the construction of the Pa. Many Pas rivaled anything used in the First World War, proving quite resistant to artillery fire until Coehorn mortars and heavy howitzers were brought in.

The Pa had covered trenches that allowed the Maori to fire out at ground level. Firing trenches and rifle pits encircled the Pa. Around the outside of the Pa were two rings of palisades; the inner one of sturdy logs usually ten to twelve feet high. The outer palisade was made of flexible but tough branches woven together, which often served to deflect incoming artillery shells.

These palisades proved tough and resilient and difficult to destroy. Sally ports were left in the palisades, but proved hard to locate and served to provide attack lanes and escape routes. Pas were never defended if gaps were blown in the palisades and always abandoned after a battle, win or lose!

Against this deadly position the British used the novel tactics of attack columns (had they learned nothing in Spain, Belgium, and the Crimea?). Forces consisted of British regulars, local volunteers and militia, sailors, civilians, and "friendly" Maoris. The regulars and sailors predominating in the earlier wars and being almost nonexistent in the late period. The columns usually lost cohesion when they encountered the palisades, under a hail of buckshot and bullets. When the Maoris withdrew, usually after repelling the attackers, the British would enter the Pa and "declare victory." The locals knew better and though the Maoris seldom attacked the settlements, but such attacks succeeded, once clearing an entire settlement.

By the late 1860s the British used Coehorn mortars and heavy howitzers to blast open the Pa's. The Maoris took to the brush and proved adept at hit and run battle also. In the 1870s volunteers hunted the Maori in a dreary jungle campaign. Eventually the Maoris couldn't justify any further conflict and surrendered.

In the end, the Maori Wars exhibit the classics of such warfare. The British used numbers and weaponry to poor advantage. The Maoris lost due to the oh, so common fault that brought down the American Indians, the ancient Gauls, the Princes of India, and my own quarrelsome Celtic Scots ancestors, the inability to put aside intertribal conflicts to unite against a common invader.

The Look of the Participants

British Regulars: Red coatee with white tails and facing colors on neck and cuffs. Dark blue trousers with a red seam stripe. Pillbox hat with red base and tuft, was dark blue. White belts and musket straps with black cartridge box and boots.

New Zealand Militia and Volunteers (1860's British Regulars/Royal Artillery): Dark blue pillbox cap, shell jacket and trousers. Red stripe down trouser seams. White belts and musket strap with black cartridge box and shoes. Black frogging and trim for the officer's jackets. Often fought in shirt sleeve order, wearing shirts of white, grey, or red.

Naval Brigade: Officers wore a dark blue uniform or undress white with pillbox hat with visor, longtailed jacket, and trousers. Ratings wore white top with pale blue tallywhacker trimmed withe, black kerchief. White or dark blue bellbottoms. All leather is black. Ratings wore either the standard white naval cap or a straw boater with black ships ribbon.

Forest Rangers (NZ Volunteers) - 1860s: Forest green or dark blue pillbox hat, grey shirt, dark blue trousers, black belts and cartridge box.

New Zealand Constabulary - 1870s: Dark civilian coat, shirt, slouch hat, dark blue kepi or pillbox hat. Blanket (often plaid) worn as a Maori style kilt or dark trousers. Black or dark brown leather.

Civilians: Wore dark browns, tans, greys, or blues, slouch hats, shirts of red, white, grey, or buff. Dark leather equipment. Artillery Pieces: Grey carriages and wheels, black metal parts and barrels.

Maoris: Early on the Maori fought naked or wore a breechcloth made of knotted thongs (in front only) or a long hide or blanket kilt. Dog skin was a favorite trim, with leaders often wearing a voluminous dog skin (hair) cloak. Trim was for leaders and was bright, often red and blue. Head gear consisted of a tuft of feathers behind each ear, a slouch hat, and the Naval officer cap in dark blue. Later Maoris began to adopt European style dress, especially shirt, coat, and headgear, but wore the kilt, not pants. No footgear was worn. Belts were dark brown or black. Early war Maoris were heavily tattooed on the face, buttocks, and mid thigh. As the wars drew on, fewer Maoris got tattooed (the process was very painful).

Weapons

British and New Zealand troops were armed with the Brown Bess Musket (1840-1855), the Enfield Rifled Musket (1856-1877), and the Martini Henry Breechloader thereafter (two years). They also carried a bayonet. Officers carried pistol and sword. The Forest Rangers carried carbine and one or more Colt revolvers. Naval ratings used a sword bayonet. Civilians and Constabulary used a combination of rifles and shotguns.

Maoris used a variety of muskets and rifled muskets. Hand weapons consisted of a variety of bone or coral clubs (called mere) or a European hatchet. Two-handed weapons included a two-handed tree axe and wooden polearms where one end was a spear point or hatchet head and the other was a club or a sharpened oar blade, which proved wickedly effective in melee. Maoris also loved the tupara (double barreled shotgun).

Artillery: 6# and 12# Armstrong Guns, Howitzers of 12#, 24#, and 32# size, and Coehorn Mortars. Me Mate Pau Te Paheha! (I must kill the white man!) A Set of Wargame Rules for the Maori Wars of New Zealand By Stephen Lawrence

GAME SCALE: 1 figure = 5 men; 1 inch = 10 yards

MOVEMENT:

Figure Type	Clear ground	In brush	In jungle	In Pa (fort)
Regulars/Militia
Open order	d6+6"	d6+3"	d6+1"	d6+1"
Close order	d6+4"	d6+1"	d6-3"	d6-3"
Constabulary or Rangers	d6+8"	d6+5"	d6+2"	d6+1"
Civilians	d6+5"	d6+3"	d6+1"	NA
Artillery	d6+2"	d6-2"	d6-3"	NA
Maoris	d6+9"	d6+6"	d6+3"	d6+3"

Negative totals for formed infantry cause the unit to become open order. Negative totals for artillery prevent the unit from moving farther into that terrain.

Small Arms Combat: d6 per 5 figures plus modifying dice.

Weaponry	Close	Medium	Long	To Hit Totals
Pistols	0 - 2"	2.1 - 4"	4.1 - 6"	Close order infantry 6
Rifled muskets	0 - 6"	6.1 - 12"	12.1 - 24"	Open in clear ground 6
Rifled carbines	0 - 4"	4.1 - 8"	8.1 - 16"	Open in brush/jungle 12
Shotguns	0 - 3"	3.1 - 6"	6.1 - 8"	Any in Pa/works 24
Modifiers To Hit: Modifiers are in added dice per group.
Firers not moving +1 Target not moving +1 Shotgun armed +2 Firer is suppressed -2		Target is suppressed -1 Close range +1 Firer is British +1 Target is artillery -1		Long range/open -1 Firer is Ranger +1 Target is Maoris -1 Long range/jungle -2
Firing through palisades at Pa defenders -13 or fewer firing -1 All losses are taken in FULL count. Always round down.

Artillery fire: One die per gunner, up to four per gun

To destroy palisade section: It takes 4 hits to destroy one section. Palisade sections have a to hit number of 24.
To search for sally ports in the palisades: Search in open order, move d6" and check. A roll of 11+ on 2d6 is required.

Hand-to-hand combat: One d6 per 5 figures plus modifying dice.

Modifiers:

Attacking in a unit's rear and front +2
Defending a trench +1


Attacking across a palisade wall -2
British in close order +l


Maori attacking with 2-handed weapons +1
Civilians -1


Militia or Volunteers in brush/jungle -1
Maoris +1


Close order fighting in brush/jungle -1
Artillery crew -1

Results of a melee: d6 + difference in losses.

GUN TYPE	CANISTER (+2)	SHOT/SHELL	NUMBER TO HIT
Field gun	0 - 6"	3 - 24"	Bunched Maoris 6
Heavy gun	0 - 6"	3 - 30"	Maoris in clear ground 6
Howitzer	0 - 4"	6 - 36"	Maoris in brush/jungle 12
Coehorn mortar	NA	8 - 30"	Maoris in Pa/works 24
Modifiers to hit:
Canister range +1 Target not moving +1 Heavy gun/shell +1		Over half range -1 Heavy vs palisade +1 Howitzer vs Pa +1
Howitzer or Coehorn vs target in brush/jungle +1 Mortar vs Pa +1

DIF	RESULTS TO LOSING SIDE OPTIONS TO WINNING SIDE
2	Loss of formation or forced back 2" No advance
3	Forced back 2" May follow-up
4	Retire half move facing enemy Advance half move
5	Retire full move facing enemy Advance half move
6	Fall back charge move back to enemy Advance charge move
7+	Rout Pursuit check

Morale: When to check: 22

1. When a unit reaches 20% losses and each 10% thereafter
2. A leader is killed or incapacitated within LOS
3. Attempting to enter melee
4. Pa is breached (Maoris only)
5. Unit is ambushed

   UNIT TYPE	BASE	MODIFIERS TO BASE
   British regulars/sailors	5	Each man killed this turn -1
   Rangers/constabulary	4	No leader within 12" -1
   Militia volunteers	3	Maoris charging or in Pa +2
   Civilians	2	Secure flank or rear (Europeans) +1
   Maoris	4	Maoris under artillery fire -1 Any unit being charged -1 British/militia/vol. In open order -1

   Result of a failure:

   TOTAL	RESULT
   7+	Function normally
   6	Lose formation or forced back 2"
   5	Retire half move, lose formation
   4	Retire full move, lose formation
   3	Fall back full move, lose formation
   2	Fall back charge move, lose formation
   1	Rout

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   © Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum

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