Following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February 1840, the
Union Jack replaced the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand as the
official flag of New Zealand. The new Lieutenant -Governor, William Hobson,
forcibly removed the United Tribes flag from the Bay of Islands, and had the
New Zealand Company's version of the flag hauled down at Port Nicholson.
Some Maori, including Hone Heke, believed that Maori should have the right
to fly the United Tribes flag alongside the Union Jack, in recognition of
their equal status with the government. Heke's repeated felling of the
flagstaff at Kororareka between 1844 and 1846 was a vivid rejection of the
Union Jack, which was viewed as a symbol of British power over Maori.
Similarly, Tarawhaiti's act of hoisting the United Tribes flag on the island
of Ruapuke in 1844 symbolised Maori independence.
From 1840 the Union Jack was used for all appropriate occasions on shore. At sea, New Zealand was represented by British naval or maritime flags until the Colonial Naval Defence Act became law in 1865. The Union Jack remained New Zealand's flag until the passing of the New Zealand Ensign Act instituted the current flag in 1902. It continued to be used regularly in New Zealand well into the 1950s, instead of, or in tandem with the New Zealand Flag. Today, the Union Jack is most commonly seen in New Zealand when a member of the Royal Family, or other distinguished British guest, is visiting.
Sourced from Ministry of Culture & Heritage