Yes. The use of the hedgehog in combat came about with the decline in armour at the end of the 15th Century. Formerly the porcupine was used against armoured opponents due to its increased mass. With the decline of armour, the lighter, more slender hedgehog was introduced. Since the settlement of New Zealand by Europeans was after the heyday of armour, only hedgehogs were used as light shipboard defence, and also for civillian duelling.
One can still see remnants of these arts in modern North American carnival pastimes such as whack-a-mole, orginally developed as a defence against hedgehogs.
Even in the world of pen and paper rpgs, the classic world of Hârn, which was developed by history buffs, has the dreaded
Hârnic War Ferret, in honour of the war-hedgehog of former days.
Best regards,
-Mark