175 Years Since Hone Heke Cut Down The Flagpole

Last week a special ceremony in the Far North has marked the 175th anniversary of the felling of the flagstaff at Kororāreka.

In 1845, Ngāpuhi chiefs Hone Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti joined forces to cut the British flagstaff down. This started what became known as the “Flagstaff War”.

Hone Heke had become concerned with the Crown’s control over Māori affairs following the Treaty of Waitangi being signed in 1840.