Victory at Gate Pa?: The Battle of Pukehinahina 1894

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.