Victory at Gate Pa: The Battle of Pukehinahina 1894

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The 29 April 1864 Battle of Pukehinahina-Gate Pa resulted in the astonishing defeat of a force of 1700 Imperial British soldiers, sailors and a few militia, who were supported by the largest artillery battery assembled at any time during the New Zealand Wars. Their defeat was at the hands of a group of Maori irregulars just over 200 strong. Victory at Gate Pa examines, in exquisite detail, the historical background to the battle, the battle itself and the subsequent Battle of Te Ranga, and the aftermath that saw 50,000 acres of prime land confiscated and a people driven into poverty and despair. The battle of Gate Pa was a defining moment in New Zealand history that had repercussions for Maori landownership and the notion of sovereignty. Although Maori technically won the battle in a humiliating defeat of the British troops, long-term they were to see thousands of acres of their land confiscated.

Author Bio

Buddy Mikaere of Ngati Pukenga and Ngati Ranginui descent is a well-respected historian and has published widely in his specialist field of 19th century race relations and on Maori history in general. He acted as editor on Taonga Tuku Iho - An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Maori Life: by A. W. Reed. Cliff Simons is a New Zealand Army officer and a military historian. He is a Lieutenant Colonel and the Director of the New Zealand Wars Study Centre at the New Zealand Command and Staff College. He has a PhD in Defence and Strategic Studies and specialises in researching and teaching about New Zealand's colonial wars