At dawn on 11 March 1845, the town of Kororāreka (Russell) was attacked by a force of 450 Ngāpuhi Māori - including Hōne Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti - during the Northern War. As nzhistory.net.nz notes, the Northern War was "a reaction to the increasing control of the colonial government over Māori affairs." For example, "Heke wanted the Māori-language version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to be honoured. He also wanted to preserve Māori independence and chiefly authority from what he saw as increasing interference by the government."
A symbol of this increasing control of Māori affairs was the flagstaff at Kororāreka, originally donated by Heke. The Union Jack had replaced the flag of the United Tribes, which Heke saw as a rejection of the partnership between powers enshrined in Te Tiriti. "The flagstaff was cut down for the first time on 8 July 1844," notes nzhistory.net.nz. "It was re-erected but chopped down again on three further occasions: 10 and 18 January and 11 March 1845", during the attack on Kororāreka.
Above is the 'wanted' poster for Hōne Heke, issued by Governor General Fitzroy after the felling of the flagstaff in January 1845. It offers one hundred pounds for the arrest of Heke, and threatens those assisting him with prosecution. In return, it is said that Heke, "according to his sense of fair play, offered one hundred pounds for Fitzroy’s capture."
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