Annelies wandered by my blog the other day and I popped over to visit her at Hone Heke.com, curious about the name of the site.The name Hone Heke comes from New Zealand so I asked why a Belgian was using it ...
Annelies expained, 'suffice it to say that during a wonderful holiday in New Zealand a couple of years ago, we were totally charmed by this famous Maori warrior who kept cutting down the flagpoles of the English colonists' and she directed me to her official explanation: Hone Heke, Maori warrior chief New Zealand (1807-1850). Hone Heke was one of the first chiefs to sign the British Government's Waitangi Treaty with the Maori people in 1840.
But when the commercial operations of settlers began to threaten Maori trade and land ownership, Heke led several battles against the British, famously chopping down their flagpoles at Russell, North Island. He never lost a battle and neither side was able to claim absolute victory. Heke escaped penalty as his adversaries did not want to provoke tension in the region.'
Many New Zealanders, Maori and non-Maori alike, see him as a political champion of his people.
She also has a hilarious post that goes someway to capturing the delights of European customer 'service'.
3 comments:
I'd have done the same, bloody rampaging colonist Brits, do they think they own a quarter of the world or what? ;) :p
I know what you mean lever, I do believe I would enjoy furtively chopping down flag poles in the right circumstances. Lol, it must have driven the Brits crazy.
As for owning a quarter of the world ... since New Zealand was left out of the EU, I've had to rethink our loyalty to the queen ... do you know, NZers write 'European' when describing ethnicity on documents back home ... we used to be ... mumble mumble ... now we're immigrants mumble ;)
Well I never :o LOL
The funny thing is, there was a report some time back on which nationalities were the most likely to overstay their work permits or visas over here... and I thought "easy"... Aussies & Kiwis. But no, it's the Americans!
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