Kia ora Friend,

If you saw yesterday's Taxpayer Update, you’ll know we’ve been keeping a close eye on the modern Waitangi ritual – politicians flying in, press releases rolling out, and tens of millions of dollars in so-called “gifts” being handed over at taxpayers’ expense.

That stuff deserves scrutiny. And we won’t stop calling it out.

But I also wanted to drop you a note today to say this plainly: Waitangi Day speaks directly to the values that underpin the Taxpayers’ Union – and not just because scrutinising government spending is the core of what we do.

For us, Waitangi isn’t about contemporary politics or activist theatre. It’s about one of the most remarkable New Zealanders who ever lived: Hōne Heke.

Hōne Heke – the country's first anti-tax campaigner

Too often, Hōne Heke is reduced to a caricature: “the man who chopped down the flagpole.”

What’s missing from most retellings is why he did it.

Hōne Heke wasn’t just protesting symbolism. He was protesting taxation.

In 1841, he was angered by the new Government’s introduction of tariffs on tea, sugar, flour, grain, spirits, tobacco, and other foreign goods — taxes that hit Māori trade in the north particularly hard.

Hōne Heke saw immediately that the Treaty he had signed was being followed by higher prices, reduced economic opportunity, and decisions being made without meaningful consent.

So he resisted. Not with speeches or submissions – but with the blunt tools available to him at the time.

It’s well documented that Hōne Heke was inspired by the way America had responded to British-imposed taxes with full-blown revolution. He even flew the American flag as a symbol of his anti-tax, anti-colonial protest (an image often left out of modern depictions of his rebellion).

And here’s the part that really matters: it worked.

After Hōne Heke’s rebellion, the Government abolished customs duties in the Bay of Islands and declared it a free port. Bad taxes were repealed because someone was willing to stand up and say, “this isn’t fair.”

Hōne Heke supported and was a signatory to the Treaty. His protest came when the Crown failed to honour it, particularly through unjust taxation and centralised decision-making.

He stood up for economic dignity, self-determination, and common sense. Ideals that transcend party lines, ethnicity, and political fashion.

That’s a lineage we’re proud to be part of.

Waitangi Day doesn’t belong only to politicians, separatist activists, or those who shout the loudest. It belongs to all New Zealanders who believe that power should be accountable, that taxation should be fair, and that ordinary people have the right – and sometimes the duty – to push back.

We don’t use axes anymore (thankfully). We use transparency, evidence, and public pressure.

But the principle is exactly the same.

So this Waitangi Day we’re remembering New Zealand’s original tax rebel and recommitting to the simple idea that government should respect the people who pay the bills.

Because Waitangi doesn’t belong to one ideology. And Hōne Heke's values of self-reliance and accountability are as Kiwi as it gets.

That’s why, today of all days, we’re recognising Hōne Heke as a Taxpayer Hero — and in his tradition we’ll keep defending taxpayers — calmly, firmly, and without apology.

Ngā mihi nui, thanks for standing with us. And happy Waitangi Day.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

ps. You can read more about why Hōne Heke is the de facto patron of the Taxpayers' Union over on our website: Hōne Heke didn’t just cut flagpoles – he cut taxes.