Russell History

Russell | Regional Information | Activity Highlights | Scenic Highlights | History

The oldest permanent European settlement in New Zealand, Russell enjoys a rich cultural and natural history. Discover the chaotic past of this sleepy, holiday town.

Russell History Overview

Russell is the oldest permanent European settlement in New Zealand. Formally known as Kororareka, Russell was developed in response to trade with the local Māori who had a relatively high presence there.

The Māori traded timber and food in exchange for muskets, alcohol and other European goods.

Early History

Image Source: Tourism New Zealand. Māori carving at the Marae in Waitangi, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand

Māori Marae, Waitangi
Bay of Islands, Northland
Photographer: Ben Crawford
(www.bencrawford.co.nz)

On 30 June 1840 Governor Hobson read is proclamations which were the beginnings of the Treaty of Waitangi, it gained 40 signatures, one of which was Māori in Russell, before the proceedings where moved around the bay to Waitangi. Here the Treaty gained most of the rest of its signatories.

Five years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1945 the Flagstaff Wars erupted between Māori lead by the Māori chief Hone Heke and the British. The Māori and Hone Heke had become disillusioned about the Treaty of Waitangi and so cut the Union Jack from its pole several times. The Flagstaff War is so named because the Māori cut down the Union Jack four times before and during the conflict.

During the war the Māori created a diversion that drew the British soldiers out of the settlement so that the Māori could then raid it. The settlers fled to the British naval ships in the harbor, who then proceeded to pound Russell, destroying most of the houses in the process.

The British then marched after the Māori and attempted to take some Māori pas (forts), it was only after some setbacks that the British won the war, but even then the outcome was not overly decisive.

Russell Heritage Sites

Pompallier

Pompallier is the sole surviving building of the French Catholic mission to the Western Pacific. This is a must see during your stay at Russell, not only did it witness the "The Birth of the Nation" but it also stands as a testament to the wider French influences in New Zealand and the Pacific.

Here visitors see firsthand the experiences of the working mission factory and hear stories of the Treaty of Waitangi and the subsequent war.

Pompallier is also home to a pre-industrial printing press designed to print religious material in the Māori language.

Christ Church

Christ Church is a remarkable church; it is the oldest surviving church in New Zealand. The building still remains scarred with musket holes, a testament and memory of the Flagstaff Wars of 1845 between the Māori and British. During the conflict settlers sought shelter in the church.