April 1 is the annual commemoration of the battle of Orākau, where more than 300 Māori from Tūwharetoa, Tauranga Moana, Waikato, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Tūhoe defended the site from more than a thousand British soldiers 160 years ago.
New Zealand land war commentator Kāwhia Te Murāhi says the aftermath of this battle included the mass relocation of iwi.
"The first thing was the complete forced relocation of our kin who lived in the Waikato.
"They moved southward into the neighbouring tribes of Maniapoto for refuge while the wars were continuing."
Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato and Ngāti Raukawa are in negotiations with the Crown for the return of the Ōrakau battle site.
The site was bought by the Crown in 2015, the first step in a plan to build a $2.8 million memorial on the site.
At the end of 2015, Waimarama Anderson and Leah Bell, students from Ōtorohanga College presented a 12,000 signature petition to Parliament calling for a national day of remembrance to acknowledge the Land Wars and for the school curriculum to teach about the wars as a course of study for all New Zealanders.
The petition sparked considerable debate and October 28, 201,7 was declared as the first Rā Maumahara, National Day of Commemoration of the New Zealand Wars.