The Battle of Gate Pā

See that ceremonial carved gateway over there, the one at the foot of the Gate Pā reserve? That marks one of New Zealand's most important historical sites. If you head up Cameron Road, you're driving over it right now. This road is named after Lieutenant-General Duncan Cameron, who commanded British forces here between 1861 and 1865.

On this very ground, on April 29, 1864, Māori forces inflicted a humiliating defeat on the British. They were outnumbered seven to one and endured what might have been the heaviest bombardment on New Zealand soil. One observer at the time called it "the most disgraceful episode in the history of the British army." Some tried to explain it away, blaming cowardice or grievances among the British soldiers, anything but Māori military genius. Seven weeks later, a British victory at Te Ranga, further inland, helped ease the Pākehā pain and led to land confiscations in Tauranga.

In January 1864, a British military expedition landed here in Tauranga, taking over the Te Papa peninsula, which had been a Church Missionary Society station since 1835. The goal was to block a supply route sending fighters, food, and weapons to Waikato Māori, who were confronting the Crown's invasion of their territory. Tauranga iwi had strong connections with the Waikato tribes. Governor Grey hoped to draw them away from Waikato by landing troops here. Even before fighting, Tauranga was already seen as a likely spot for military posts, and ministers wanted the fertile lands around the harbour.

Many Tauranga Māori saw the arrival of troops as a sign of imminent war and started building defensive pā. When nothing happened immediately, a formal challenge was issued, naming April 1 as the day of the fight. With it came a remarkable letter sent to the British commanding officer at the end of March. It set out rules: wounded soldiers would be spared if they stopped fighting, those who surrendered would be saved, and civilians, including Pākehā women and children, would not be harmed. British officers ignored it.

Then, on April 16, 1864, Tauranga Māori began building a new fortification on a ridge about five kilometres inland from the Te Papa station, where the missionary estate ended and Māori land began. The troops called it "the gate pā" because of a gate along the boundary. Māori knew the ridge as Pukehinahina.