"I wanted to tell our story about what happened at the battle, who died and who was taken prisoner and in 2013 it will be 150 years since that battle took place.
"We have heard from other historians but one of the stories I heard from our people goes that they (Kingitanga fighters) put up the white flag thinking they could go and ask them if they could have more bullets so they could continue the fight ... but of course the white flag to the British meant surrender."
Mr Maipi was yesterday at Te Ohaaki marae, north of Huntly, where taonga and memorabilia from the battle donated by the Waikato museum and local archaeologist Warren Gumley are on display for a two-day exhibition simply titled The Rangiriri Collection, in the marae's new whare taonga.
The whare taonga is purpose-built to house the hapu's taonga and has a security system, humidity control and track lighting.
Moana Davey, Waikato Museum's concept leader for tangata whenua who is helping with the exhibition, said among the display are toki (adzes), cannonballs and ammunition found at the site, soldiers' swords, military maps outlining the conquest, a pumice float used for fishing, flora and fauna from the time and even Governor Grey's top hat.
"It's a chance for the hapu to celebrate and to host their own exhibition, it's a new thing and hopefully something that will happen more often," she said. The display, which starts today, also features a small number of very rarely seen taonga from the Maori King Tuheitia Paki's private collection.
The Weekend Herald understands among these taonga are a tokotoko (walking stick) carved from whale bone, mere (greenstone clubs) and what is understood to be King Tawhiao's own currency - a one pound and a five pound note - possibly used during the 1840s.
"King Tawhiao had his own profile on some bank notes, it was legal tender," said Mr Maipi.
"It was when we were trading with the world. It was the land wars that actually stopped it all."
The powhiri for the exhibition starts at 10am today.
