1864 Assault on Gate Pā

The British attacked the Ngāi Te Rangi stronghold of Pukehinahina (Gate Pā) with the heaviest artillery bombardment and one of the largest forces used in the New Zealand Wars. They faced just 230 warriors.

Gate Pā had been built within 5 km of the British camp at Tauranga in a clear attempt to provoke rash action. Ngāi Te Rangi even offered to build a road to the pā. Sensing the opportunity for a successful assault, Lieutenant-General Duncan Cameron arrived with reinforcements. On 28 April 1700 troops marched out to attack Gate Pā, which was shelled from daybreak the following day.

The British artillery bombardment was the heaviest of the New Zealand Wars, with 110-pounder Armstrong guns supported by 24-pounder howitzers. But Gate Pā withstood even this pounding. Maori had placed their war flag 50 m behind the pā, though this fooled the gunners only briefly. By firing few shots in return, the defenders created the impression that the shelling had largely wiped them out. In fact no more than 15 Māori were killed by the bombardment. When a confident British raiding party assaulted the pā they were routed by warriors who emerged from underground bunkers. Within 10 minutes the storming party retreated, leaving behind 100 dead and wounded.

The defeat at Gate Pā was a major disaster for the British. Those involved looked for someone to blame: the assault party were branded as cowards; the army blamed naval troops; Cameron was simultaneously accused of being too rash and overly cautious.