The Brothers (New Zealand) with the largest being only some one hectare in area. The Māori name for the group, "Ngāwhatu-kai-ponu" literally means "the eyes that witnessed", and the islands are considered "tapu" to Māori. North Brother Island is a sanctuary for the rare reptile species, the Brothers Island tuatara and is the type locality for a rare beetle, the "Amychus granulatus, although it is possibly extinct there now. The Brothers (New Zealand) The Brothers is a group of small islands in Cook Strait, New Zealand, off the east coast of Arapaoa Island. The Brothers form two small island groups, each containing one main
Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand was still being used to depict New Zealand, and it appeared on the South African War Medal which was issued to New Zealand soldiers of the Boer War and was inscribed with the phrase "Success to New Zealand Contingent 1899–1900". The unamended version of the flag, with eight-pointed stars and black fimbriation, is still widely used by Māori groups. The hereditary chiefs and heads of the tribes of the northern parts of New Zealand declared the constitution of an independent state. They agreed to meet in Waitangi each year to frame laws, and invited the southern tribes of New Zealand