The image of Hone Heke chopping down the British flag on Maiki hill above Kororareka in 1845 is the enduring symbol of the Northern War. Other names given to this conflict include the 'Flagstaff War' and 'Hone Heke's Rebellion'.
The first Waitangi Day
Lord Bledisloe's gift and the 1934 celebrations
In 1932 Governor-General Lord Bledisloe gifted the Treaty House and grounds at Waitangi to the nation. He hoped that the site would become a national memorial, symbolising that the Treaty of Waitangi had initiated a unique relationship between the indigenous and the colonising peoples.
Overview - Musket Wars
Maori intermediaries: Ruatara
Several Maori men travelled the world after joining the crews of ships visiting New Zealand.
In 1805 the Nga Puhi chief Ruatara, from Rangihoua in the Bay of Islands, left New Zealand on the whaling ship Argo with the intention of meeting King George III. Over the next four years he served on several whaling ships and received mixed treatment. He never met the King, but in 1809 he encountered the missionary Samuel Marsden, who was returning to Port Jackson (Sydney) on the convict vessel Ann.
Beginnings - Musket Wars
Hongi Hika: Warrior chief
The first woman settler? - go-betweens
Charlotte Badger
Charlotte Badger is credited with being one of the first two European women to settle in New Zealand. Sentenced to seven years penal servitude in New South Wales in 1796, she gave birth to a daughter at the Parramatta female factory.
The arms race - musket wars
Māori also explored non-violent ways of resolving disputes. Diplomacy, arranged marriages, gifts and escape were all used to avoid fighting. When these methods failed, the common response was to seek an advantage by gaining more weapons.
The first execution - capital punishment
First official execution in New Zealand, 7 March 1842
Hirini Rawiri Taiwhanga
Hirini Rawiri Taiwhanga circa 1887. Taken by an unidentified photographer.
Hone Heke Ngapua
Portrait photograph of Hone Heke Ngapua, circa 1904.
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