A Ngapuhi man says the sale of of part of the flagpole chopped down by his ancestor Hone Heke is a breach of human rights.
The Ngapuhi chief chopped down the British flagpole at Russell four times in the 1840s in protest at the way Maori were being treated by the British.
David Rankin has complained to the Human Rights Commission, saying it is offensive to use the name of his ancestor for commercial gain.
He does not believe the piece of the pole listed for auction is authentic.
Mr Rankin hopes to have the sale stopped before tenders close on 7 August.
AUT University History Professor, Paul Moon, says the piece of wood is unlikely to be from any of the flagpoles cut down by Hone Heke.
"It was cut down as late as say 1845, there's no mention of anyone collecting any pieces of it, it was most probably discarded and the first mention of this alleged piece of flagpole appears in 1897," Dr Moon says.
"There's really no pedigree for this item."
Dunbar Sloane Jr, manager of auctioneers Dunbar Sloane, says his company is just doing its job by selling the piece for a client.
The auction has already been delayed once because of opposition.
