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Story: New Zealand Wars

Whanganui Māori with Moutoa flag

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Whanganui Māori with Moutoa flag

On 14 May 1864, a group of upriver Pai Mārire adherents were defeated in a battle on Moutoa Island in the Whanganui River by Māori defending the town of Whanganui. The Pākehā community was so relieved that they erected a memorial to the ‘loyal’ Māori at Moutoa Gardens in the town. Local women also sewed a flag to present to the Māori defenders. The flag featured the Union Jack, a crown, and a white and a brown hand clasped in friendship. This photograph was probably taken in 1897.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-012420-G

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Danny Keenan, New Zealand Wars – Pai Mārire, South Taranaki and Whanganui, 1864–1866, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/36929/whanganui-maori-with-moutoa-flag (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Danny Keenan, published 11 June 2012, updated 29 November 2022.