Hone Heke’s assault on the northern Pakeha was above all provoked by the Pakeha’s apathetic nature towards the Treaty of Waitangi. He believed the Pakeha were not honouring the Treaty and were trying to undermine the Maori’s mana. Hone Heke believed that the Treaty was a sacred document and was to be respected. He thought the Treaty guaranteed that the Maori would be able to maintain their own culture and lifestyle safely in their home country and would not be in danger of losing their lands, forest, or fisheries. However, the Pakeha brought their own culture, language and way of life into New Zealand, threatening the survival of the Maori traditions, and wanted to procure Maori land cheaply for their own intents and purposes. Even though, in retrospect, it is obvious as to why the Pakeha did not act in the way the Maori thought appropriate of them, this clash in reasoning inexorably led to the confrontation between Maori and Pakeha.
In addition, many rumours rose that Maori land would be confiscated by the British government for use by European settlers. This would once again strengthen Hone Heke’s belief that the British government and Pakeha were not respecting the Treaty. When many more European settlers arrived in New Zealand, slowly increasing the Pakeha numbers, the rumours of land confiscation were given new credibility and the Maori people started to see the truth in those rumours. The prospect of the confiscation of Maori land put them on edge and they began wondering whether they would be able to keep any land for themselves. This fear and insecurity over their land would help incite the flames of war in the north.
Moreover, the Maori began to feel more enslaved by the British government. Not only were they confiscating their land, according to the American and French traders, they were also flaunting off their hold over the Maori. The British flag, the Union Jack, which was being flown over Maika Hill, in Kororareka, in the minds of the Maori, symbolized slavery for the Maori. The Maori were further infuriated by the fact that the flagstaff it was being flown on was a gift from Hone Heke to the first British Resident. Their pride, now stung, would eventually lead to the starting of the Northern Wars.
When Hone Heke challenged the Pakeha, he believed that the British were dishonouring the Treaty of Waitangi. He thought that the Pakeha’s indifferent nature towards the Treaty of Waitangi was unacceptable, even though, in hindsight, it is clear as to why the Pakeha’s views did not coincide with the Maori’s. To a lesser extent, the fact that the Maori thought the British government was going to confiscate their lands was again in direct violation of the Treaty in their eyes. Also, the minor reason of lost pride was a contributing factor as well. The Maori believed the British government thought that they had enslaved New Zealand and all its inhabitants, and they could not help but prove them wrong. Even today, the Union Jack on the New Zealand flag serves as a reminder of the British hold over this country.
