The Hahalis Welfare Society was a nativist movement on Buka Island in what is now the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea.
The Society is best known for refusing to pay the Head Tax to the colonial government of the time, the Australian-administered Territory of Papua and New Guinea based in Port Moresby, and its subsequent clash with police in 1962.
[1] Heavy taxes imposed on the Halia people by the colonial government caused tension on Buka Island.
When the police officers were flown to Buka, they faced off against a crowd of 1,000 Society members, including men, women, and children.
[2][3] Following the mass arrest, many supporters were released on appeal, after which the Society agreed to begin paying the tax again.