Te Kara o te waka a Queen Elizabeth - SS Gothic - letter to the Governor General:

The First Royal tour of nga motu o Aotearoa, 1953 - 1954 began when her majesty Queen Elizabeth the second of England sailed into our waters on board her royal vessel the SS Gothic under the flag of the Whakaputanga, our Declaration of Independence:

To the Office of:
Her Excellency Dame Patsy Reddy
Governor General of 'New Zealand'
2 June 2020

Tena koutou katoa,

We are writing in regard to the attached photographs showing the SS Gothic during the royal tour of NZ in 1953-54, and in particular the flag on the bow of the vessel (circled in the attached photos).

We request all information regarding the decision to fly this flag from the vessel on this occasion - when the flag was hoisted and lowered, and any written correspondence, photographs or other information regarding the decision to fly this flag during the visit.

Thank you very much for your attention to this request, we look forward to your response.

Nga mihi mahana, kia ora koutou katoa

Te Ringa Mangu Mihaka


The image below was sourced from NZ archives, where the cinematic footage can be viewed.

There is a third image similar to this, but with the hull painted black . . . the source of this image is a news report following a fire on the SS Gothic.

The response:

Te Wakaminenga wrote to the NZ Navy:

The response:

Ngapuhi have a special relationship with the Navy; Bonallack is the recently arrived media hack who touted propaganda for the likes of Georgina Beyer and Gary McPhee to the gullible people of the Wairarapa while he was editor of the local rag.  "You would have to make enquiries of the British government" indeed.  Who does he think he is?  That is a lazy response, and an insult to the mana of Ngapuhi, Te Wakaminenga o Nga Iwi Kotahitanga and Tangata Whenua tatou (all so called 'Maori' people).

More images of the SS Gothic flying Te Kara o Te Whakaputanga o Nga Tinorangatira can be viewed below: