Articles
The Northern War
The Northern War, fought in the Bay of Islands in 1845-46, was the first serious challenge to the Crown in the years after the Treaty of Waitangi. Its opening shots marked the beginning of the wider North Island conflicts that are often referred to as the New Zealand Wars.
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Page 3 – The sacking of Kororāreka
The sacking of Kororāreka shook the settler population. Over £50,000 worth of property was lost. In Auckland panic set in. Some settlers sold their land for whatever price they
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Page 5 – Ōhaeawai
The vastly experienced Henry Despard had now arrived as the new commander of all British troops in New Zealand. Keen to cash in on Heke’s setback at Te Ahuahu, he
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Page 6 – The quest for peace
Grey assumed control on 18 November 1845. He believed that FitzRoy's negotiations were inconsistent with the interests of the British government. When talks broke down in early
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Page 7 – Ruapekapeka
Ruapekapeka may have been a tactical victory for the British, but many consider the outcome to have been a draw. Heke and Kawiti had escaped with their forces largely intact,
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Page 8 – Peace breaks out
Historian James Belich contends that Grey won the propaganda war and Kawiti and Heke won the real war on the battlefield. Others argue that Belich's revisionism goes too far