Hone Heke Cutting 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.

Kororāreka Marae chairperson Deb Rewiri said the ceremony gave Northern hapū a chance to remember the legacy of Hone Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti.

She said the commemoration was a reminder to her people to hold on to their rangatiratanga