In the 1890s the Hokianga County Council imposed a tax of 2/6d (half crown) on each dog in the district. Many people, particularly in the South Hokianga, refused to pay, one of which was Hone Riiwi Toia. It was this encroachment of British colonial laws over Māori autonomy that instigated an armed protest, the response to which became known as the Dog Tax War.