by Charles Kirkland Jr.
A teenage boy born of two cultures must navigate a brutal war between the Māori and colonial British
forces in this powerful retelling of one of New Zealand’s most pivotal historical battles, featuring screen
legends Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis.
Born to an English army father and Māori mother, young Haki (Paku Fernandez) has followed in his
father’s footsteps. Captured by Māori, Haki’s life is placed on the line. He’s set free by Kōpū (Hinerangi
Harawira-Nichola), a reluctant medium to a war god who dreams of her freedom from service. As
British forces inch nearer, and the tribe’s leader, Rewi Maniapoto (Temuera Morrison), agrees to a pact with
neighboring tribes to take a seemingly impossible stand against the invaders.
During the ensuing battle, Haki and Kōpū escape with the surviving younger children. As they search for
a haven, Haki is haunted by an unspeakable act of war he committed at his militaristic father’s
behest. As the British forces continue to take hold and tragedy strikes again, Haki must make a critical
decision that will define the rest of their life.
Written by Tim Worrall, Ka Whawhai Tonu documents a significantly crucial conflict in the history of
New Zealand and the effects. In addition to Fernandez, Harawira-Nichola, Morrison and Cliff
Curtis, the cast of the movie is filled with descendants of the actual battle of Ōrākau. The film is directed
by Michael Johnathan in his feature film debut.
Johnathan presents a story that is visually stunning and emotionally complex. While the love story that
is central in the movie is fictional, the non-fictional battle of Ōrākau, also seen in this movie, pits the
colonizers of England against several tribes of Maori that banded together to fight for their land and
their culture. The interesting theme that runs through the film is how the fundamental differences between
the tribes were as big a threat to their existence as the invaders they were fighting against. It is only after
they finally set their divisions aside that they truly start to exist. The message of co-existence is no
greater exemplified than through Christian minister Wi Toka (Cliff Curtis) who works together with Kōpū
the girl who speaks for the Maori god of war.
Struggle Without End (Ka Whawhai Tonu) is a beautifully conceived and depicted re-creation of a
violent and deadly battle hiding a fictional tale of love, respect and thankfulness over a fight that as the
title indicates continues to this day. It is a feature full of hope and survival that looks to the past to
unlock the future.
Grade: C+