War in the north

The war in the north that followed the chopping down of the Hagpole was really two wars because another Maori leader, Tamatì Waka Nene, and most of the other Hokianga chiefs, attacked Hone Heke and his allies. Then the kupapa (those Maori who sided with the British) helped the Government forces.

2

Heke and Kawiti were attacked at three major pa

Puketutu which the Government forces attacked in May. The British lost 52, the Maori about twice that. The pa was not- captured and Heke and Kawiti were not caught.

Ohaewai which was attacked in lune. The British shelled it for six weeks with 6 and. 12 pound canon and then brought up a 32 pounder which was the largest gun ever used in New When this didn’t work, an as-saulf was made on the pa. This one Maori dead, 39 British dead and 70 British wounded. The Maori then abandoned the pa.

Ruapekapeka ('T he Bat's Nest'. Rua is hole, pekapeka is bats. There were thousands of bats in the hollows of trees there). It look three weeks for the British to get their forces and guns from Kprorareka to this pa because they had to drag artillery through such difficult terrain (land), thick forest, hills, rivers and swamps. The B`ritish attacked in Ianuary 1846 and when they took it the next day, found most Maori outside at a church service. This ended the war.

DLAN OF QUADEKADEKA DA

Results of the war

The British did not erect a new Ílagpole.

ln 1858 Kawiti's son regerected a flagpole as a symbol of friendship. It ended the challenges to British sovereignty in the north.

British troops clevelc'aped an admiration for Maori military and engineering skills.

Th; British-had not listened to Heke and Kawiti. The chiefs wanted the partnership that'they believed the Treaty of Waitangi would glve.

1 Use Kawili's engineering Ieatures to design a pa. l! eould he a drawing of paper or. a papier-mâché mudar.

2 Compare the features of Maori pa with the dugouts used In Worid War 1.

Palisades were buill more densely. They were bolstered by bundles ol green flax tightly tied together. An inner lence of heavy puriri logs was built. Some Palisades were up to six metres high and 30 oentimetres thick. Flanking angles were built so that approaches to the palisades could be covered.

Dugouts were built Ea'ch dugout was a small fortress. Rua were sel into the ground under cover of logs, siones and matted flax. Warriors I were safe from bombardment :hl |

were safe from bombardment there.

Tranches were dug between double and ireble1ines oí heavy timber. Eanh and rocks were piled up behmd them.

Underground passages, firing and communication trenches gave warriors the maximum protection and allowed rapid movement within pa.