1844 War in the north

Many chiefs had suffered economically when customs duties were levied on ships calling at the Bay of Islands, raising the cost of goods and reducing the flow of trade. They were further disadvantaged in 1841 with the relocation of the colonial capital to Auckland. The new Governor, Robert FitzRoy (1844-45), waived Crown pre-emption (the Crown's exclusive right of land purchase), partly to appease Heke and other northern chiefs, who wanted no constraint on whom they could deal with. Heke was incensed that the Union Jack, a symbol of British government, flew over Kororāreka (the town now called Russell), without the former 'New Zealand Standard' of 1834 beside it. As a result, he had the flagpole chopped down four times in 1844-1845. Some considered this a truly patriotic gesture on Heke's part. On the last occasion, the township of Kororāreka was sacked and pillaged, and most buildings, except the church buildings, were burned. The townsfolk were evacuated to Auckland. Fighting between British troops (aided by some Māori, such as Nene) and the forces under Heke and Kawiti broke out and on 15 January 1845, a proclamation was issued in both languages offering a reward for Heke's arrest. FitzRoy was recalled, to be replaced at the end of 1845 by the military governor George Grey. Māori fortifications and tactics enabled the forces under Heke and Kawiti to defeat the British troops, and when they gave Governor Grey an empty victory at Ruapekapeka, by simply withdrawing, the tactic led to stalemate.