The Northern War, fought in the Bay of Islands in 1845-46, was the first serious challenge to the Crown in the
years after the Treaty of Waitangi. Its opening shots marked the
beginning of the wider North Island conflicts often referred to as the
New Zealand Wars.
In the years before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, relations between Maori and Europeans were marred by a number of high-profile incidents. The burning of the Boyd (1809), the Elizabeth incident (1830), the Harriet affair (1834) and the 'hell-hole' of Kororareka
led James Busby to conclude
that New Zealand was an example of 'extreme frontier chaos'.
Actions by the Colonial government cost Maori in the Bay of Islands in terms of lost trade and opportunities. Heke feared that chiefly authority was now subservient to that of the British Crown
The sacking of Kororareka shook the settler population. Over £50,000
worth of property was lost. In Auckland panic set in. Some settlers
sold their land for whatever price they could obtain, and left the
country as quickly as possible.
Maori learnt an important lesson at Puketutu – the British were a
formidable foe in open battle. This would influence the tactics used in
future battles
Kororareka as painted by Augustus Earle; the colour print was published in 1838. A European man, probably Earle himself, is led down a steep path by a Maori with a mere on his wrist and a taiaha over his shoulder who gestures towards the beachside settlement of Kororareka (Russell).
Bay of Islands Nga Puhi chief Hone Heke was an influential Maori voice in favour of the Treaty of Waitangi. However he later became a leading opponent of British rule in New Zealand.
The painting Meeting of the artist and Hongi at the Bay of Islands, November 1827 by Augustus Earle shows canoes, a storehouse and carved objects. Hongi Hika is seated in the centre with huia feathers in his hair.
This view of Kororareka from the sea was drawn by Captain Clayton on 10 March 1845, the morning before the assault by the forces of Hone Heke and Kawiti.
The missionaries divided the wave of Europeans who came to New Zealand in the first half of the 19th century into two groups: missionaries were the agents of virtue, and almost everyone else qualified as the agents of vice. The impact of both groups was perhaps strongest in Kororareka in the Bay of Islands.
