The conflict , which overlapped the wars in Waikato and Tauranga , was fuelled Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale by a combination of factors : lingering Māori resentment over the sale of land at Waitara in 1860 and government delays Change_event_time in resolving Resolve_problem the issue ; a large-scale land confiscation policy launched Process_start by the government in late 1863 ; and the rise of the so-called Hauhau movement , an extremist part of the Pai Marire syncretic religion , which was strongly opposed Agree_or_refuse_to_act to the alienation of Māori land and eager to strengthen Māori identity .

Chief among those issues was ( 1 ) the legality of the sale Commerce_sell of a block of land at Waitara , which had sparked Causation the first war , but Māori unrest was exacerbated by ( 2 ) a new land confiscation strategy launched Process_start by the Government and ( 3 ) the emergence of a fiery nationalist religious movement .

Violence over land ownership broke out Process_start first in the Wairau Valley in the South Island in June 1843 , but rising tensions in Taranaki eventually led to Causation the involvement of British military forces at Waitara in March 1860 .

The war Military_operation was sparked Process_start by a dispute Quarreling between the government and Māori landowners over the sale Commerce_sell of a property at Waitara , but spread Dispersal throughout the region .