Trying to trace an adventure story

A long time ago, when I was young I came across a book (or series of books) in the local library that were adventure stories about the Maori Wars. They featured a hero who fought with a Bowie knife with Maori, against Maori. I think they may have been based in part of Gilbert Mair but I am not sure. Now I just remember enjoying them and the odd flash of memory, but I would like to find them again. Now they may for all I remember have been racist! I will confess to having read the Biggles books when young; now they were racist, imperialist, sexist etc. but somehow that is not my recollection of the elusive adventure series. Enquiries all week in New Zealand have not resulted in any memories. Anyone out there have any idea?