The Te Kooti Trail
Encyclopedia
The Te Kooti Trail is a 1927 New Zealand
film. It premiered at the Strand Theatre, Auckland
on 17 November 1927 and was billed as New Zealand’s “greatest production”.
Adapted from a newspaper serial written by Frank Bodle, The Te Kooti Trail was based on the account of the sacking of Mill Farm at Te Poronu related in volume 2 of James Cowan
’s The New Zealand Wars. Rudall Hayward
was fascinated by what he called "our rough-hewn story" and believed that material from the period 1840 to 1870 would make films equally as fascinating as any from the American West.
With a budget of £900, the film was shot on location in seven weeks from early September 1927. The entirely amateur cast was recruited locally. Lead roles were decided by the player’s physical resemblance to the character to be portrayed while smaller roles were given to the films shareholders - Whakatane Films. Hayward made much of the fact that the film was taken from the official accounts and went to great lengths to ensure its accuracy.
The Te Kooti Trail has received undue notoriety for causing New Zealand’s first homegrown censorship controversy. The film’s release was delayed by the censor W A Tanner (at the request of Maui Pomare
, then acting Minister of Internal Affairs) for a special screening to Maori MPs and elders of the Ringatu
Church to ensure it did not offend Maori sensibilities. As a result two intertitles were changed.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
film. It premiered at the Strand Theatre, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
on 17 November 1927 and was billed as New Zealand’s “greatest production”.
Adapted from a newspaper serial written by Frank Bodle, The Te Kooti Trail was based on the account of the sacking of Mill Farm at Te Poronu related in volume 2 of James Cowan
James Cowan (New Zealand writer)
James Cowan was a New Zealand non-fiction writer, noted for his books on colonial history and Maori ethnography...
’s The New Zealand Wars. Rudall Hayward
Rudall Hayward
Rudall Charles Victor Hayward was a pioneer New Zealand filmmaker from the 1920s to the 1970s, who directed seven feature films and numerous others. He was born in England, and died in Dunedin while promoting his last film....
was fascinated by what he called "our rough-hewn story" and believed that material from the period 1840 to 1870 would make films equally as fascinating as any from the American West.
With a budget of £900, the film was shot on location in seven weeks from early September 1927. The entirely amateur cast was recruited locally. Lead roles were decided by the player’s physical resemblance to the character to be portrayed while smaller roles were given to the films shareholders - Whakatane Films. Hayward made much of the fact that the film was taken from the official accounts and went to great lengths to ensure its accuracy.
The Te Kooti Trail has received undue notoriety for causing New Zealand’s first homegrown censorship controversy. The film’s release was delayed by the censor W A Tanner (at the request of Maui Pomare
Maui Pomare
Sir Maui Wiremu Pita Naera Pomare, KBE, CMG was a New Zealand doctor and politician, being counted among the more prominent Māori political figures...
, then acting Minister of Internal Affairs) for a special screening to Maori MPs and elders of the Ringatu
Ringatu
The Ringatū church was founded in 1868 by Te Kooti Rikirangi. The symbol for the movement is an upraised hand, or "Ringa Tū" in Māori.Te Kooti was one of a number of Māori detained at the Chatham Islands without trial in relation to the East Coast disturbances of the 1860s...
Church to ensure it did not offend Maori sensibilities. As a result two intertitles were changed.