welcome to honeheke.com

Hone Heke was one of the first chiefs to sign the British Government's Waitangi Treaty with the Maori people in 1840.

But when the commercial operations of settlers began to threaten Maori trade and land ownership, Heke led several battles against the British, famously chopping down their flagpoles at Russell, North Island. He never lost a battle and neither side was able to claim absolute victory. Heke escaped penalty as his adversaries did not want to provoke tension in the region.

Many New Zealanders, Maori and non-Maori alike, see him as a political champion of his people.

This page dedicated to Hone Heke by Benny Corvers, 2004.