Who was Te Kooti and how did he resist colonial forces?

Te Kooti (c. 1830–1893) was a prominent Māori guerrilla leader and the founder of the Ringatū religious movement in New Zealand.12

Following his imprisonment on the Chatham Islands, where he engaged in deep study of the Old Testament, Te Kooti escaped to the mainland in 1868. He organized resistance against colonial forces on the east coast of the North Island, employing guerrilla tactics during a period when religion served as a significant source of strength for Māori opposition to settler expansion.1234

Te Kooti was never definitively defeated by colonial forces; however, by the early 1870s, he was compelled to retreat into the "King Country" in the center of the island. He eventually shifted his focus entirely to religious leadership and was granted amnesty in 1883. Today, he is remembered as both a prophet and a martyr, with his movement, Ringatū, continuing to maintain a dedicated following.3412