The New Zealand Wars uncover the conflicts between Maori and Pakeha in the last century when a small group of tribal people clashed with the world’s largest empire. The struggle for British sovereignty over mana Maori is a story of racism and heroism, grief and triumph, flowering myths and stunted truths. For most New Zealanders, the story has not been told. Until Now. The War That Britain Lost In 1916 while New Zealand focused on a great war, 12,000 miles away, another war ended in the heart of the North Island. Episode One details the first war between British and Maori and, despite the odds, the British did not win it. Their victory came in history books, won by the pen where the sword had failed.