Peace breaks out - Northern War

Te Ruki Kawiti

The rival Ngapuhi leaders met at Kawakawa and agreed on a peace settlement. Ngapuhi could not sustain the effort required to keep fighting. Hone Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti did not have the resources to maintain a fulltime war effort against a

Many on the British side also realised how difficult it would be to keep fighting. Ruapekapeka gave both sides a way out of the war. For Governor George Grey it was important to bring the war to a rapid conclusion so as to stem the loss of confidence that had seen settlers flee Auckland. He also chose not to re-erect the flagstaff at Kororareka. Grey’s actions might have demonstrated his magnanimous side but they also reflected the fact that he knew how hard it would be to achieve a total victory. While he spoke publicly of victory he convinced his superiors of the need to keep extra troops in New Zealand.

Historian James Belich contends that overall Grey won the propaganda war and Kawiti and Heke the real war on the battlefield. Others argue Belich’s revisionism goes too far and maintain that Grey’s decisive action sent a powerful message to Kawiti and Heke about the nature of their new opponent. Grey showed his diplomatic skills when he pardoned the ‘rebels’ and did not insist on the confiscation of land. Some argue that Ngapuhi’s neutrality in the larger wars of the 1860s can be attributed to Grey’s diplomacy in the aftermath of the Northern War.

Grey largely ignored the main reasons behind Kawiti and Heke’s protest – that they sought partnership in government and control over their lands. While peace was formally made with Kawiti in the middle of 1846 Grey and Heke did not meet until 1848. Grey was presented with Heke’s greenstone mere. According to Heke’s biographer Freda Kawharu this was ‘a token of acceptance of Grey’s right to be in New Zealand and of Heke’s expectation that the Queen’s representative would honour the treaty.’