War re-enactment all in the name of education
Promoting New Zealand’s history is the aim of an annual event at Kaikohe to mark the New Zealand Land Wars.
Kapa haka, re-enactment and hot air balloons were part of the fun at the anniversary event, held at Northland College on March 9 for the third time.
The event was held as close as possible to March 11, the day in 1845 when Ho¯ne Heke cut down the British flagpole for the fourth time. This led to the sacking of Korora¯reka, now known as Russell, with troops evacuated the town when a fire broke out.
It was the start of the Northern War, also known as the Flagstaff War, and said to be the start of New Zealand’s land wars.
Event organiser Willie Maihi, from the Maihi Memorial Park Charitable Trust, said the event was all about promoting New Zealand’s cultural identity and history, especially through Nga¯ puhi.
“We need to start educating people. If you’d asked me, when I went to school, who Ho¯ne Heke was, I wouldn’t know who he was but I would know Captain Cook,” he said.
The event included a kapa haka performance by about 30 to 40 Northland College students from Te Ara Whanui Kapa Haka.
Bill Edwards from Heritage New Zealand gave a presentation about Ho¯ne Heke.
A hot air balloon from Hamilton, in Kaikohe for the first time, helped add to the excitement of the event.
The climax of events was a re-enactment of the flagstaff battle, using members of the New Zealand Wars Reenactment Society.
Members of the society travelled from as far afield as Wellington for the event, wearing carefully researched reproductions of the 1845 British uniform.
Sergeant Bruce Cairns said the uniforms were bright colours so generals could see their troops out in the field.
While in the mid-north, members of the society visited Ruapekapeka pa¯, where trench warfare was invented.
Mr Cairns hoped the anniversary event would be better publicised next year, so more people attend.
Mr Maihi said next year’s events would focus on a halfmarathon along the route Ho¯ne Heke travelled before his death.