In 1858, a ceremony was held at Maiki Hill to celebrate a new flagstaff, erected by Northern Maori as a gesture of goodwill and reconciliation, 12 years after the war between British forces and allied Northern tribes. Governor Gore-Brown declined an invitation to attend that day, but Dame Patsy and Sir David were on hand today to celebrate the flagstaff's 160th anniversary and to meet descendants of the great military strategist and rangatira, Kawiti, and of other rangatira who raised the funds required for a flagstaff to replace the earlier flagstaffs, repeatedly felled by Hone Heke as a protest against the actions of the colonial government. Dame Patsy was introduced to Te Raumoa Kawiti, a descendant of Maihi Paraone Kawiti, who had brought a seal provided by Governor Gore-Brown to Kawiti. The name of the seal was Rongmau, meaning sealing the peace forever. Thereafter, Kawiti used the seal on his documents and letters.
Dame Patsy and Sir David were then warmly welcomed onto Haratu Marae, on the shorefront at Russell.
