Battle of Gate Pa
The Battle of Gate Pa on Pukehinahina, on 29th April 1864, is remembered as the battle where hugely outnumbered Maori defenders managed to repulse an experienced British force and secure a renowned Maori victory.
This battle was a significant event during the Tauranga Campaign, a six month armed conflict in the Bay of Plenty in early 1864. It occurred during the era of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty.
Māori constructed a pā on the rise, which they knew as Pukehinahina. After Archdeacon A.N. Brown purchased Te Papa promontory for the Church Missionary Society, the inland limit of the area was defined by a ditch across a narrow neck of land. A bridge over the ditch was closed by a gate, hence the name Gate Pā. The Pā fortifications were engineered by Pene Taka Tuaia who significantly changed the design of the Pa defences from the traditional palisade stronghold to one of protection against new military technologies such as artillery and rockets. The Pa consisted of two redoubts and a complex system of rua or anti-artillery bunkers.
The British attacked the Ngai Te Rangi stronghold, defended by just 230 Maori defendants, with heavy artillery bombardment. The artillery bombardment was the heaviest of the New Zealand Wars with huge Armstrong Guns supported by howitzers. But Gate Pā withstood the barrage. Firing few shots, the defenders created the impression that the shelling had killed most of them. In fact, 15 Māori at most had been killed by the bombardment. When the British raiding party assaulted the pā, the men became disoriented in a maze of trenches and were routed by defenders firing from concealed positions. The storming party suffered 100 casualties in 10 minutes before the survivors fled.
This significant historical event was not well publicised in Tauranga until planning began for the 150th Anniversary, which was held in 2014. Public events and formal ceremonies were planned, advertised and held. Public forums, newspaper editorials and television programmes were aired. Essay competitions encouraged students to research and explore this important event. Information boards were erected to tell the history of the battle from both perspectives. Commemorations have been held every year since 2014. There is a very informative website which was developed for the commemoration, which gives a balanced account:www.battleofgatepa.com.
On April 29th 2007, a carved tomokanga (a welcome to all people onto a sacred place) was added to the Gate Pa to commemorate the battle. For the 150th anniversary commemoration eight carved pou were added to the site. The eight pou are carved from six pine logs and two totara logs and represent iwi participation in the 1864 Battle of Gate Pā and link to the whenua. The pou were carved next to the old fire station at Tauranga's Historic Village. The carving of the five metre long pou took three months. They were installed on site on 24 April 2014 and they now line Cameron Road outside the battle site at Gate Pa. Each pou faces toward Mauao.
tauranga.kete.net.nz/battles_of_gate_pa_and_te_ranga_1864/topics/show/2069-gate-pa-pou-2014-by-debbie-mccauley
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