Hone Heke Pokai (1810?-1850) was a famous Maori chief whose dislike of British rule led to the first of the New Zealand Wars. Heke, the chief of the Ngapuhi tribe, was a nephew of another famous warrior chief, Hongi Hika. Heke considered that the conditions of the Maori people worsened after the Treaty of Waitangi. In July 1844, he cut down a flagstaff flying the Union Jack at Kororareka (now Russell). The British governor, Robert FitzRoy, ordered the flagstaff to be reerected. But in January 1845, Heke cut it down twice more. FitzRoy offered a reward to anyone who captured Heke. In turn, Heke offered a reward to anyone who brought him the governor's head. British troops reerected the flagstaff and fortified it. On March 11, 1845, Heke captured the flagstaff. He then plundered Kororareka. This revolt began the New Zealand Northern War. British soldiers, assisted by pro-British Maori, attacked Heke's forces. In November 1845, George Grey, the new governor, led a British force in a successful attack on Heke's fort at Ruapekapeka and forced him to make peace. Heke was born in Pakaraka, near the Bay of Islands. He died on Aug. 6, 1850, in Kaikohe.