By that time, Parihaka had become a stronghold of Taranaki-Māori opposition to the loss of tribal lands - the losses had arisen from the Land Wars of 1845-1872 and from subsequent Crown legislation on land confiscation. The government passed the Suppression of Rebellion Act 1863 to punish Māori "rebels" who had fought against the British - mainly in Taranaki and the Waikato. The Act defined Māori fighting against the government as "rebels," who could be detained indefinitely, without trial. Te Whiti and Tohu Kakahi were incarcerated (1881 onwards), but Māori ploughmen came from all over the country to assist Taranaki Māori to re-occupy their confiscated land and to prevent the building of roads (May 1879 onwards). The New Zealand authorities arrested hundreds of Māori and confiscated their property. British media reports of the Māori Ploughmen's nonviolent struggle influenced the thinking of Mohandas K. Gandhi during his 1893-1915 stay in South Africa.