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.