Russell () is a town in the
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...
, in New Zealand's far north. It was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand.
History
Māori settlement
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the area now known as Russell was inhabited by
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
because of its pleasant climate and the abundance of food, fish and fertile soil. The settlement was known as Kororāreka, and was located on the coast. The name translates to 'sweet
blue penguin
The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...
', after an ailing chief who had eaten a penguin broth remarked or 'the kororā is sweet'.
[McCloy, Nicola (2006). ''Whykickamoocow – curious New Zealand place names''., Random House New Zealand.]
Early European explorers
James Cook
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
and
Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne
Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (22 May 1724 – 12 June 1772) was a French privateer, East India captain, and explorer. The expedition he led to find the hypothetical ''Terra Australis'' in 1771 made important geographic discoveries in the sou ...
remarked, by their arrival in the 18th century, that the area was quite prosperous.
Early European settlement
When European and American ships began visiting New Zealand in the early 1800s, the indigenous Māori quickly recognised there were great advantages in trading with these strangers, whom they called .
The Bay of Islands offered a safe anchorage and had a large Māori population. To attract ships, Māori began to supply food, timber and prostitution. In exchange, the Māori population traded for firearms, alcohol and other goods of European manufacture.
Kororāreka developed as a result of this trade but soon earned a reputation as a community full of prostitution and without laws. It became known as the "Hell Hole of the Pacific"; European law had no influence and Māori law was seldom enforced within the town's area. Fighting on the beach at Kororāreka in March 1830, between northern and southern subtribes () within the
Ngāpuhi
Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei.
According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...
iwi, became known as the
Girls' War
The Girls’ War is the name given to fighting on the beach at Russell, New Zealand, then known as Kororāreka, in March 1830 between the northern and southern hapū (subtribe) within the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe).
The cause
The Girls' War is so named ...
.
On 30 January 1840 at
Christ Church, Governor
William Hobson
Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Royal Navy, who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hobson was dispatched f ...
read his proclamations (which were the beginnings of the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
) in the presence of a number of settlers and the Māori chief
Moka Te Kainga-mataa
Moka Kainga-mataa e Kaingamataa/Te Kaingamata/Te Kainga-mata/Te Kainga-mataa'' (1790s–1860s) was a Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngā Puhi iwi from Northland in New Zealand. He was distinguished in war and an intelligent participant in the ...
. A document confirming what had happened was signed at this time by around forty witnesses, including Moka, the only Māori signatory. The following week, the treaty proceedings moved across to the western side of the bay to
Waitangi.
By this time, Kororāreka was an important mercantile centre and served as a vital resupply port for
whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...
and
sealing operations. When the
Colony of New Zealand
The Colony of New Zealand was a colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom from 1841 to 1907. British authority was vested in a List of governors-general of New Zealand, governor. The colony had Capital of New Zea ...
was founded in that year, Hobson was reluctant to choose Kororāreka as his
capital
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
, due to its bad reputation. Instead, he purchased land at
Okiato
Okiato or Old Russell is a small town in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, south of present-day Russell. It was founded in 1840 and served as New Zealand's first national capital until 1841, when the seat of government was moved to Auckland. Th ...
, situated five kilometres to the south, and renamed it Russell in honour of the Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 186 ...
. Hobson soon decided that the move to the Okiato site was a mistake, and
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
was selected as the new capital not long after.
Kororāreka was part of the Port of Russell, and after Russell (now
Okiato
Okiato or Old Russell is a small town in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, south of present-day Russell. It was founded in 1840 and served as New Zealand's first national capital until 1841, when the seat of government was moved to Auckland. Th ...
) became virtually deserted, Kororāreka gradually came to be known as Russell as well. In January 1844, Governor Robert FitzRoy officially designated Kororāreka as part of the township of Russell. Today, the name Russell applies only to Kororāreka, while the former capital is known either by its original name of Okiato or as Old Russell.
Catholic mission
In 1841–42,
Jean Baptiste Pompallier
Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier (11 December 1801 – 21 December 1871) was the first Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand and, with priests and brothers of the Marist order, he organised the Roman Catholic Church throughout the country ...
established a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
mission in Russell, which contained a
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...
for the production of Māori-language religious texts. His building, known as
Pompallier Mission, remains in the care of
Heritage New Zealand
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
.
On 18 November 1844, while at anchor in the Bay of Islands, Mary Davis Wallis described "Kororarika" as a town "which appears small, consisting of a few houses along the shore, and cottages scattered here and there on the slope of the hills behind. Nothing is to be seen back of the town but lofty hills not particularly verdant."
Flagstaff War
The
Flagstaff War
The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of H� ...
was touched off in 1845 by the repeated felling and re-erection of the Union Jack on
Flagstaff Hill above the town. The town was sacked by
Hōne Heke
Hōne Wiremu Heke Pōkai ( 1807 – 7 August 1850), born Heke Pōkai and later often referred to as Hōne Heke, was a highly influential Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) and a war leader in northern New Zealand; he was ...
, after diversionary raids drew away the British defenders. The flagstaff was felled for the fourth time at the commencement of the
Battle of Kororāreka
The Battle of Kororāreka, or the Burning of Kororāreka, on 11 March 1845, was an engagement of the Flagstaff War in New Zealand. Following the establishment of British control of the islands, war broke out with a small group of the native popu ...
, and the inhabitants fled aboard British ships, which then shelled and destroyed most of the houses.
[Russell (from the ]Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books.
History
20th century
Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...
New Zealand, 13th Edition, September 2006.
Hōne Heke directed his warriors not to interfere with
Christ Church and the
Pompallier Mission.
Twenty-first century
In January 2023, the
New Zealand Geographic Board
The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is the authority over geographical and hydrographic names within New Zealand and its territorial waters. This includes the naming of small urban settlements, localities, mounta ...
proposed that the town's name be officially changed back to Kororāreka. However, in May 2025
Minister for Land Information Chris Penk
Christopher Aidan Penk (born 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been a Member of parliament, Member of Parliament in the New Zealand House of Representatives, House of Representatives for the New Zealand National Party, National Party sin ...
declined the proposal.
Demographics
Russell covers
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Russell had a population of 798 in the
2023 New Zealand census
The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...
, an increase of 36 people (4.7%) since the
2018 census, and an increase of 96 people (13.7%) since the
2013 census. There were 384 males, 408 females and 3 people of
other genders in 408 dwellings. 3.0% of people identified as
LGBTIQ+. The median age was 61.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 57 people (7.1%) aged under 15 years, 66 (8.3%) aged 15 to 29, 342 (42.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 330 (41.4%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 84.6%
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
(
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
); 21.8%
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
; 1.5%
Pasifika; 1.9%
Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.5%, Māori language by 4.9%, and other languages by 12.8%. No language could be spoken by 0.8% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 33.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 24.4%
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 0.4%
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 1.5%
Māori religious beliefs
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, 1.1%
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, 0.8%
New Age
New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, 0.4%
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had
no religion were 62.4%, and 8.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 150 (20.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 366 (49.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 177 (23.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $32,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 63 people (8.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 258 (34.8%) people were employed full-time, 123 (16.6%) were part-time, and 15 (2.0%) were unemployed.
Much of the accommodation in the area consists of holiday homes or tourist accommodation.
Marae
The local Kororāreka Marae is a traditional meeting ground of Te Kapotai, a
hapū
In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...
of
Ngāpuhi
Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei.
According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...
.
Climate
Russell experiences a humid
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...
climate.
Economy

Russell is now mostly a "bastion of cafés, gift shops and
B&Bs".
Pompallier Mission, the historic printery/tannery/storehouse of the early
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
missionaries, is the oldest surviving industrial building in New Zealand, while the town's Christ Church is the country's oldest surviving
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
church.
The surrounding area also contains many expensive holiday homes, as well as New Zealand's most expensive rental accommodation, the
Eagles Nest.
The photographer
Laurence Aberhart lives here.
A car ferry across the Bay of Islands runs between Okiato and
Opua
Opua is a locality in the Bay of Islands, in the sub-tropical Northland Region of New Zealand. It is notable as the first port for overseas yachts arriving in the country after crossing the Pacific Ocean. In the original 1870s plans for the to ...
, and is the main tourist access to Russell. There is a land connection, but this requires a substantial detour (the ferry route is only 2.3 kilometres, while the land route is 43.5 km).
Education
Russell School is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of as of The school opened in 1892.
Notable people
*
Lucy Takiora Lord (1842–1893), guide and interpreter
References
External links
Russell(a local page about the town)
{{Far North District
Populated places in the Northland Region
Far North District
History of the Northland Region
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell