A NEW ZEALAND STORY OF FIRSTS

                               21 GUN SALUTE BY HMS ALLIGATOR 20th MARCH 1834
A New Zealand story of FIRSTS: - The first National Flag. The first permanent European settlement in the South Island (Te Awaiti, Tory Channel), The first European woman settler in the South Island, The first European child born in the S.I. (1831). The first female child born in S.I. (1833), - And the first use of British troops against Maori. Capt. Lambert named Alligator Head, Marlborough for his ship.

NEW ZEALANDS FIRST NATIONAL FLAG.

In 1832 the British Government conceded to pressure that it was about time that they did something  to protect the New Zealand native Maoris from the lawless activities of marauding Europeans. They reluctantly appointed James Busby as the official British Resident of New Zealand and he arrived in May 1833. Like so many British political officials, he proved to be a useless waste of space - so much so that he was known by the Maori as 'Man-O-War-Without-Guns'  - However, one thing he did manage to organise was the creation of the first New Zealand National Flag.

The problem that Busby addressed was that all shipping was required to be registered and to fly a national flag - and ships sailing out of New Zealand might be seized for not flying a proper flag - as one trading ship - the Hokianga built 'Sir George Murray' indeed was in 1830.

So on 20th March 1834 Busby gathered together 25 Maori Chiefs from Northland, their followers, together with 13 ships Commanders and local settlers - to select a Flag that would officialy represent New Zealand and secure the profits of NZ sea-born trade and commerce from confiscation by Naval authority.

                                                  UNITED TRIBES ENSIGN 1834

Busby declared the chosen flag (one already used by the Church Missionary Society ) - to be The NATIONAL FLAG OF NEW ZEALAND  and had it raised on a flagpole to a 21 Gun Salute from HMS Alligator.  The Man-of -War Alligator was a 'sixth-rater'(20 to 28 guns) known as a frigate or corvette - and had a busy year in New Zealand waters. - please note that this flag business is an early example of our British style NZ Government being pushed into action by business interests rather than doing its usual nothing much useful at all!

Following the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, this New Zealand Flag was forcibly removed by William Hobsen and replaced with the British UNION JACK. Maori leader Hone Heke justifiably held that the first 'United Tribes' National Flag should be flown alongside the the British Flag as Maori were equal partners to the Treaty - and he repeatedly chopped-down the flagstaff at Kororareka in 1844 and 1845, rejecting the Union Jack.

However the Union Jack flew (off and on!) as New Zealands flag for the next 62 years until - in a flurry of pomp and pride over the South African War - our politicians adopted the current flag with its royal blue background, Union Flag in the corner, and four stars representing the 'Southern Cross'.

This current New Zealand Flag is a DEFACED BLUE ENSIGN  with the Union Jack in the 'canton'
( - this is a heraldic term describing the addition of a symbol to a flag - the stars of the Southern Cross) - this flag was a maritime flag only until 1902.
Marty K.
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