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Hone Heke Ngapua - Source: ONE News -
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Hone Heke is a heroic New Zealand figure, one of the great characters in our country's short history, and news today that his body has to be moved to accommodate new lifestyle blocks is both apt and contradictory, depending on which Heke you're talking about. It also suggests an immense opportunity for the north.
The Hone Heke Foundation says 10-acre lifestyle blocks are surrounding the unmarked Northland cave where the great Nga Puhi chief is buried, and a more permanent and public grave is now needed.
A proper burial site for Heke would be a gift to the nation. He's an early New Zealander who embodied the tensions of meeting - sometimes warring - cultures and is one of the few historical figures to capture the imagination of school children generation after generation. By chopping down the flagpole at Russell (Kororareka) four times, he became the great rebel character resisting the arrival of the British Empire - a local Geronimo or William Wallace.
What's often forgotten is that his view of Pakeha was very different before and after his years of rebellion. He was the first rangatira to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, seeing that a deal with the Crown offered advantages both in terms of trade and law and order. He reputedly told Governor Hobson, "You should stay with us and be like a father. If you go away, then the French and the rum sellers will take us Maori over."
This Heke would have been delighted to see the economic development in the north that the lifestyle blocks and housing developments suggest.
His assumption in signing the Treaty was that Pakeha would honour Maori rangatiratanga. But as more and more migrants waded ashore and politics from half a world away started to impinge, it became clear that events were overtaking the promises made. The capital was moved from Russell to Auckland, new laws and regulations were introduced, land was lost. So Heke turned rebel, writing to Governor Grey that, "God made this country for us. It cannot be sliced". This Heke might come screaming from his grave, demanding the homestylers go back where they came from.
But after years of fighting, in his later years, Heke accepted the presence of the Pakeha and sought a negotiated approach to the Treaty.
In many ways, Heke's story reflects the New Zealand story. And
it's one of which more should be made, especially in the north
where the prosperity of Heke's time has long disappeared. If Heke
had been American, he would be the focus of any number of
documentaries and books, a
couple of Hollywood movies and a profitable Heke industry. In New
Zealand, he remains trapped in our school books.
Our young country is good at celebrating sportspeople, from Hillary to Lovelock. It's getting better at honouring its artists and scientists. But we're still terrible at telling the story of our political leaders. As we get to know who we are as a nation, we need to get to know people like Heke, who have so influential in shaping our national character.
Ignorance of these stories, these great figures, mean we're also missing a huge business opportunity. Visitors come here for scenery, but should leave having seen not just what we've got, but who we are. Cultural tourism is the great, untapped segment of our tourism industry.
A prominent, public Heke grave could be the centrepiece of a fascinating tourist trail in the north, including pa sites, battlegrounds, historic buildings and more. Any visitor to Gettysburg or Stirling or ANZAC Cove can tell you the appeal of historical tourism and the pulling power of great characters. And yes, it could be done without being disrespectful or selling a Maori Disneyland view of the 19th century, complete with Heke as Mickey Mouse.
This is a huge opportunity for Nga Puhi, and the country as a whole, if someone has the conviction, taste and vision needed. Heke could again lead a revolution. And this time instead of bringing brigades of soldiers, their pockets full of powder, north to meet him, he could lure hordes of tourists, with wallets full of spending money.
Tim Watkin is a producer for Q+A - Sundays on TV ONE from 9am. Read more of his articles here.
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