The Te Kooti Trail

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 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 Māui Pōmare, 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.