February 04, 2026

#waitangi2026: #history Hōne Heke and the Flagstaff: The Spark of the Northern War

Matthew Tukaki Posted On February 4, 2026

In the mid-1840s, the Bay of Islands stood at the heart of some of the most dramatic moments in Aotearoa’s colonial history. Central to this was Hōne Heke Pōkai, a powerful rangatira of Ngāpuhi, whose actions would ignite the first serious conflict between Māori and the British Crown – the Northern War.

Once a supporter of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Hōne Heke became increasingly frustrated with what he saw as the Crown’s failure to honour its commitments – and the loss of Ngāpuhi authority and economic power that followed. Among his grievances were the relocation of the colonial capital away from the Bay, the imposition of customs duties that damaged local trade, and the erosion of Māori self-determination.

Atop Maiki Hill, overlooking Kororāreka – what we now call Russell – stood a flagstaff flying the Union Jack. To Heke and his supporters, this pole was more than wood and rope; it stood for British sovereignty and the loss of Māori mana. The flagstaff had originally been donated by Heke himself to fly the United Tribes flag, but later came to bear the Crown’s colours instead – a shift Heke saw as symbolic of deeper injustices.

On 8 July 1844, Heke’s ally Te Haratua cut the flagstaff down. This was only the beginning. Over the coming months, Heke returned repeatedly to chop it down – each time the British re-erected it, and each time Heke felled it again.

Governor Robert FitzRoy responded by calling for troops and building defences around the flag-pole. His insistence that the flagstaff remain standing – without addressing Heke’s grievances – only escalated tensions.

Finally, on 11 March 1845, Heke and his ally Te Ruki Kawiti launched a coordinated strike: the flagstaff was cut down for the fourth and final time and the settlement of Kororāreka was attacked. This was no longer symbolic protest – it was the opening of what came to be known as the Flagstaff War or Northern War.

The conflict that followed was complex. It pitted not just Māori against British forces, but Ngāpuhi against Ngāpuhi, as some rangatira such as Tāmati Wāka Nene chose to support the Crown. Battles spread through Puketutu, Ōhaeawai, and the great pā at Ruapekapeka, where Māori resistance showed both tactical brilliance and resilience.

Today, the story of Hōne Heke and the flagstaff remains one of the most powerful symbols in our nation’s history – a reminder of early challenges to colonial authority, fierce debates about sovereignty, and the deep mana of rangatira who stood for their people’s rights and identity.