Powerful events took place atop Te Maiki hill, in Kororāreka (Russell), which still reverberate through Aotearoa. The flagstaff on Te Maiki became a focus of protest for Ngāpuhi hapū who understood it as a British challenge to their sovereignty, culminating in the Flagstaff War of 1845-6.
The objective of this project was to recognise Te Maiki as a site of battle and reconciliation in an appropriate way. Illustrated panels provide locals and visitors to the Bay of Islands with information on the significance of this site. They detail the battle that raged on this site, its causes, and its impacts – from the series of battles that followed across the Bay of Islands, to the ongoing hapū invitations to reconcile with the government over 160 years, through to the momentous reconciliation ceremony with Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy on Te Maiki in 2018.
We worked collaboratively with the Department of Conservation and representatives from Kororāreka Marae to develop the content and designs. This project involved repurposing an existing lookout into a storytelling viewshaft spanning 360 degrees on top of Te Maiki. It uses map-based views, archival and recreated illustrations to interpret the impact of historical events for Te Maiki, Kororāreka and the surrounding landscape.
