Interactive: Rongo Hongi and the Kerikeri Mission Slates
The first of a series of interactives, Rongo Hongi and the Kerikeri Mission Slates was made as part of the Kemp House 200th anniversary celebrations.
In 2000, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga staff discovered a pair of historic writing slates beneath Kemp House at Kerikeri Mission Station.
On one slate was a name and age: Rongo Hongi, 16.
Born in 1815, Rongo (later known as Hariata) was a rangatira of significant mana who was involved in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Northern War and several other key events of the nineteenth century.
Discover Rongo's story via our new interactive.