page_title: Hōne Heke
section_title: Battle of Kororāreka
hierarchical_section_title: Hōne Heke / Battle of Kororāreka
caption_attribution_description: At dawn on 11 March 1845, the town of Kororāreka (Russell) was attacked by a force of 450 Ngāpuhi Māori - including Hōne Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti - during the Northern War. As nzhistory.net.nz notes, the Northern War was "a reaction to the increasing control of the colonial government over Māori affairs." For example, "Heke wanted the Māori-language version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to be honoured. He also wanted to preserve Māori independence and chiefly authority from what he saw as increasing interference by the government." A symbol of this increasing control of Māori affairs was the flagstaff at Kororāreka, originally donated by Heke. The Union Jack had replaced the flag of the United Tribes, which Heke saw as a rejection of the partnership between powers enshrined in Te Tiriti. "The flagstaff was cut down for the first time on 8 July 1844," notes nzhistory.net.nz. "It was re-erected but chopped down again on three further occasions: 10 and 18 January and 11 March 1845", during the attack on Kororāreka. Above is the 'wanted' poster for Hōne Heke, issued by Governor General Fitzroy after the felling of the flagstaff in January 1845. It offers one hundred pounds for the arrest of Heke, and threatens those assisting him with prosecution. In return, it is said that Heke, "according to his sense of fair play, offered one hundred pounds for Fitzroy’s capture." Archives Reference: IA1 Box 75/ 1849/158 www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=23520311 More information on Hōne Heke and the Northern War can be found at www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/northern-war For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material from Archives New Zealand
context_page_description: Hōne Wiremu Heke Pōkai, born Heke Pōkai and later often referred to as Hōne Heke, was a highly influential Māori rangatira of the Ngāpuhi iwi and a war leader in northern New Zealand; he was affiliated with the Ngati Rahiri, Ngai Tawake, Ngati Tautahi, Te Matarahurahu and Te Uri-o-Hua hapu of Ngāpuhi. Hōne Heke fought with Hongi Hika, an earlier war leader of the Ngāpuhi, in the Musket Wars. Hōne Heke is considered the principal instigator of the Flagstaff War in 1845–46.
context_section_description: The uprising began when the flagpole was cut down for the fourth time at dawn on Tuesday 11 March 1845. A force of about 600 Māori armed with muskets, double-barrelled guns and tomahawks attacked Kororareka. Heke's warriors attacked the guard post, killing all the defenders, and Heke cut down the flagstaff. At the same time, possibly as a diversion, Te Ruki Kawiti and his men attacked the town of Kororareka. The survivors from the 250 soldiers and settlers abandoned the town as HMS Hazard bombarded Heke's warriors with cannon. Heke's men then raided the town taking anything useful they could find. Heke's order that the southern part of Korororeka remain untouched resulted in the Anglican and Catholic churches being undamaged.
  Many Māori under the mana of the leading northern rangitira, Tāmati Wāka Nene, stayed loyal to the British government.  They took an active part in the fight against Heke and tried to maintain a dialogue with the rebels in an effort to bring peace.
caption: Hōne Heke Wanted Poster (1845)
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