Hone Heke and other rebel Māori did this by attacking the flag pole at Kororareka, encouraged by American whalers.

Heke and the Ngāpuhi chief Pomare had listened to Captain William Mayhew, the Acting-Consul for the United States since 1840, and other Americans talk about the successful revolt of the American colonies against England over the issue of taxation.

Both before and after the signing of the treaty American traders and the American consul poisoned the relationship between Heke and his British rulers.

Letters from William Williams, recorded talks he had with Heke, and refer to American traders attempting to undermine the British both before and especially after the signing of the treaty.

As a signal of his unhappiness with the British, and encouraged by the American traders, in the space of six months Hone Heke returned to chop the flagpole down three times.

Heke had been strongly influenced by stories of the American War of Independence.

Te Ahuhu, the extinct volcanic cone where Hone Heke had his pa, viewed from Waimate North.

The flagstaff had been a gift from Hone Heke to James Busby, the first British Resident.

In any event Heke used the insult as a reason to enter the town, to demand payment from Lord as compensation for the insult.

After the successful defence of Puketutu Pā on the shores of Lake Omapere, Hone Heke returned to his pā at Te Ahuahu, a major residential settlement a short distance from both Heke's Pā at Puketutu and the site of the later Battle of Ohaeawai.

Te Ruki Kawiti and his warriors escaped, Hone Heke recovered from his wounds, and a new and even stronger pā was built at Ruapekapeka.

It is clear that Kawiti and Heke made considerable gains from the war, despite the British victory at Ruapekapeka.

The question of the ultimate result of the Northern War is contentious as the British, Heke and Kawiti had all gained from its conclusion.

Attempts at vandalism of the flagstaff are often an objective of these protests, carrying on a tradition that dates from the 19th century when Hone Heke chopped down the British flagstaff in nearby Russell.

Hone Heke did not participate in the Battle of Ohaeawai as he was recovering from the wounds he received at the Battle of Te Ahuahu.

Hone Heke was only defeated once in the conflict at Te Ahuahu on 12 June 1845, by Nene with no help from the British.

Heke blamed the British for the decline in the timber trade in which many Maori were employed, not realising that the Australian market had been saturated with Kauri from the north and this had driven down prices.

Maihi Paraone Kawiti, as a signal to Governor Thomas Gore Browne, that he did not follow his father ’ s path, arranged for the fifth flagpole to be erected at Kororareka ; this occurred in January 1858 with the flag being named Whakakotahitanga, “ being at one with the Queen .” As a further symbolic act the 400 Ngāpuhi warriors involved in preparing and erecting the flagpole were selected from the ‘ rebel ’ forces of Kawiti and Heke – that is, Ngāpuhi from the hapu of Tāmati Wāka Nene ( who had fought as allies of the British forces during the Flagstaff War ), observed, but did not participate in the erection of the fifth flagpole.

Heke lost at least 30 warriors and was driven from Te Ahuahu leaving Tāmati Wāka Nene in control of Heke's pā.

After the battle of Te Ahuahu Heke went to Kaikohe to recover from his wounds.

It is clear that Kawiti and Heke made considerable gains from the war, despite the British victory at Ruapekapeka.

However, he wrote his second book, A history of the war in the north of New Zealand against the chief Heke from the perspective of an imaginary supporter of Hone Heke, who was one of the principal antagonists opposing the government.

The second son, Mark ' Boogie ' Heke, has a history of minor criminal offences, and is taken from his family and placed in a borstal.

In a symbolic act the 400 Ngāpuhi warriors involved in preparing and erecting the flagpole were selected from the ‘ rebel ’ forces of Kawiti and Heke – that is, Ngāpuhi from the hapu of Tāmati Wāka Nene ( who had fought as allies of the British forces during the Flagstaff War ), observed, but did not participate in the erection of the fifth flagpole.

Notwithstanding the achievements of Te Ruki Kawiti and Hone Heke in pushing back colonial government control over the Ngāpuhi, in the years after the Flagstaff War over 2, 000 km² of Ngāpuhi land was alienated from Māori control.

Together, the two migrations Heke Tahutahuahi and Heke Tātaramoa have the name Heke mai raro, meaning " migration from the north ".

He was visited by Henry Williams and Robert Burrows, who hoped to persuade Heke end the fighting.

In the Flagstaff War, Māori allies were wholly independent of British command ; Tāmati Wāka Nene was at war with Hone Heke.

The conflict is best remembered for the actions of Hone Heke who challenged the authority of the British by cutting down the flagstaff on Flagstaff Hill ( Maiki Hill ) at Kororareka, now Russell.

Among other things, Heke objected to the relocation of the capital to Auckland ; moreover the Governor in Council impose a custom tariff on staple articles of trade that resulted in a dramatic fall in the number of whaling ships that visited Kororareka ( over 20 whaling ships could be in the bay at any time ); a reduction in the number of visiting ships caused a serious loss of revenue to the Ngāpuhi.

:" It happened that a slave girl belonging to Heke, Kotiro by name, was living at Kororareka with a butcher named Lord.

The Ngāpuhi warriors lead by Te Ruki Kawiti and Hone Heke decided to challenge the Europeans at Kororareka.

Hone Heke lost at least 30 warriors.

Heke was severely wounded and did not rejoin the conflict until some months later, at the closing phase of the Battle of Ruapekapeka.

Richard Davis, who was living at the CMS mission at Waimate and visited the pā during the siege ; as a consequence of which Despard complained as to interference by the missionary in the action against Hone Heke.

Heke and Kawiti assessed their losses at 60 killed and 80 wounded although the British estimated 94 killed and 148 wounded.

To signal their resentment, Hone Heke cut down the flagpole at Kororareka.

So when Hone Heke cut down the flag pole for the fourth time, Nene was mightily offended, feeling that his mana had been trampled on and Nene was already at war with Heke when the British troops began to arrive on the scene.

When in March 1845 Heke cut down the flag pole at Kororareka for the fourth time, thereby initiating the Flagstaff War, Kawiti, now in his seventies, created a diversion by attacking the town.

Heke was severely wounded and did not rejoin the conflict until some months later, at the closing phase of the Battle of Ruapekapeka.

They fought a short series of campaigns until Kūpapa Māori ( Māori who supported the government ) weakened Heke and he was forced to abandon Kawiti to British forces.

An account of the preparation for the attack later given by the CMS missionaries was that on Monday the 10th the plans of Heke were disclosed to Gilbert Mair, who informed Police Magistrate Beckham, who then informed Lieutenant Philpotts of the Hazard, however the " information was received with indifference, not unmingled with contempt ".

Carlton ( 1874 ) provides a brief description of the battle: " Heke committed the error ( against the advice of Pene Taui ) of attacking Walker Wāka Nene, who had advanced to Pukenui.

Kawiti and Heke did not suffer an outright defeat, however the Flagstaff War impacted on the Ngāpuhi-in the disruption to agriculture and in the presence of British forces who brought with them disease and social disruption.

However there are no detailed accounts of the action ; Carlton ( 1874 ) mentions " Heke committed the error ( against the advice of Pene Taui ) of attacking Walker Wāka Nene, who had advanced to Pukenui.

After the battle of Ruapekapeka Kawiti and Heke were persuaded to end the rebellion by Tāmati Wāka Nene, who in turn insisted that the British accept the terms of Kawiti and Heke that they were to be unconditionally pardoned for their rebellion.

Many notable Māori were born in the Bay Of Islands, including Hone Heke who several times cut down the flagpole at Kororareka ( Russell ) to start the Flagstaff War.

Carlton ( 1874 ) mentions " Heke committed the error ( against the advice of Pene Taui ) of attacking Walker Wāka Nene, who had advanced to Pukenui.

The Māori forces were led by Te Ruki Kawiti and Hone Heke, who instigated the war when he who chopped down the flagpole at Kororāreka to commence what is sometimes called the Flagstaff War.