The Maori King movement decides early to support Titokowaru in late 1968 with attacks on north Taranaki and to offer political support. This causes butterflies which leads to a victory at Ngapata for Te Kooti. The Crown finds itself fighting two forces, the combined forces of the Kingites and Titokowaru, and the increasingly violent and fanatical forces of Te Kooti. The Kingites and Titokowaru force the New Zealand government to accept a treaty that formally recognises the sovereign rights of Maori royal land, while the forces of Te Kooti are routed. The mana of the King movement is increased and a new treaty replaces the flawed Treaty of Waitangi.
Over time, Pakeha do continue to encroach on Maori land but a core of Maori sovereign territory is retained. Many Maori move into the protection of the King's land, increasing the Maori population of that region. The now-defunct Treaty of Waitangi means that the iwi in other parts of the country are now under ever-increasing pressure and white settlers demand security. The Maori kingdom and the rest of New Zealand become more separate. The Pai Marire religion in the Maori kingdom flourishes though many of its rites are subject to lurid speculation by white newspapers.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the Maori kingdom languishes in poverty but this begins to turn around during the first world war as Maori fill industrial roles left empty by departing British soldiers. The Maori kingdom is obligated to fight the Central Powers and becomes internationally known for their fighting skill, Maori soldiers achieve immortality at Gallipoli. Between the wars and during World War Two the Maori begin to make economic progress steered by a veteran king inspired by the Young Turks.
During decolonisation the clamour for true Maori independence grows stronger and stronger despite the opposition of Wellington. This almost causes an international incident when the Maori king declares that he will abide by the ANZUS Treaty even if the New Zealand government will not and invites American nuclear ships to port at Maori-controlled Waitara. The Americans don't recognise this, but become powerful international patrons for the Maori, with earmarking aid and investment for the pseudo-kingdom which leads to a booming economy. The Maori press begin a tradition of conflating the Wellington government with the Communist bloc: a ridiculous assertion but one that becomes a recurring joke in other countries particularly Australia.
The political demand for independence grows even stronger in the 1970's and 1980's as the Maori Royal Party becomes an increasingly disruptive element in Wellington, particularly when the party joins with various rightist/nationalist extreme parties that seek a "white NZ". Finally the exhausted moderate parties agree to a new arrangement and in early 1992 a formal treaty is signed that cements the divorce of the Maori Kingdom with the now-Republic of New Zealand. The Maori remain within the Commonwealth.
Today the Maori kingdom is largely known for its strong IT-based economy and exotic culture, with a growing Asian and Pacific Islander minority population and local film industry.