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Hone Wiremu Heke Pokai was a very influential chief of the Nqa Puhi tribe of New Zealand. He was a Maori rangatira (chief) and war leader. He is considered the principal instigator of the Flagstaff War.

As a child, he attended a mission school in Kerikeri and came under the influence of missionaries. As a result, Hone Heke and his family were converted to Christianity, and Hone became a lay preacher.

It was as a warrior that Hone Heke established his reputation.

As a signal of his unhappiness with the plight of the Māori, Hone Heke chopped down the flagpole carrying the British flag that flew over Kororareka. The British interpreted this as an act of rebellion and soon the two sides were at war. In a span of 6 months, Hone Heke actually chopped the flagpole down three times. To prevent this from happening again, the British ordered in a battalion to defend it. Heke created a diversion, and while the soldiers were fighting on a nearby beach, Heke and a few others crept towards the flagpole and cut it down for the fourth time.

This was the beginning of the Flagstaff War.

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15y ago

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