Rawiri and Cameron

Author: Philippa Jane Ballantine
Published on: Jul 1, 2001

During the nineteenth century New Zealand was a battleground. The Victorian’s called them the Maori wars, but later they were known as the Land Wars or New Zealand wars. Fought between the Maori and the British, who saw New Zealand as their colony, they continued for many years, and meant there was a steady stream of soldiers into the country.

The best-known battle was fought on 29 April 1864, the Battle of Gate Pa. It was a decisive victory for the Maori, and is also known as a tale of kindness shown to enemies.

The northern part of New Zealand was a battleground, and the port in Tauranga was the only one open to supply the Maori in the Waikato region. The Governor of New Zealand at the time was George Grey, and when word reached him that a significant number of Maori warriors could be crossing through Tauranga to reinforce Waikato Maori, he decided to act. He gave orders that his soldiers build up a significant presence at the Te Papa mission station in Tauranga.

Rawiri Puhirake led the local Ngatirangi tribe. He was more than willing to fight the British, issuing a challenge- and it was a remarkable one. Predating the Geneva convention- this laid down rules by which the two sides would meet, and how they would behave. Surrender conditions were explained, and the rights of the unarmed, the women and the children were laid down The strange chivalrous nature of this challenge must have really surprised the British, for they did not reply.

So in April 1864 the Ngatirangi began building. What they were constructing was a Maori pa- a fortified place on a ridge or hilltop, it was usually constructed to be defended and abandoned if necessary. This pa was one of the new breed, developed to defend against musket and cannon- weaponry that the Maori had become very familiar with. It contained revolutionary developments- a light fence (Pekerangi ) surrounded the pa, but was a few inches off the ground to allow defenders to fire underneath, a trench lay beyond this which enabled them to reload in safety, and then behind that was a parapet, within lay underground chambers that could resist cannon balls. These chambers were an extensive system of earthworks that allowed the defenders to move about freely. There were just over 240 of them.

This pa at Pukehinahina was a challenge in itself, being very close to the Te Papa mission. The British had 1300 soldiers a naval brigade of 429 sailors, a 110-pounder Armstrong gun and two 40-pounder Armstrong guns, and fourteen smaller artillery pieces. In command was General Cameron, an experienced battler of the Crimean War.

He planned to use the artillery to breach the main redoubt, and then send his troops in. The Maori were heavily outnumbered- it shouldn’t take long. Just to be sure he sent the 68th Regiment around the rear of the pa to cut off any retreat. They were armed with the latest Armstrong gun, a breech loaded rifle. The 29th of April emerged through light rain, and the British commenced their bombardment. Starting early in the morning, they hammered the pa until three in the afternoon. As they did so Rawiri would walk the parapets urging them to do their worst. By the end there was a breach in the main redoubt. Three hundred British soldiers were sent in, Colonel Booth commanding, while another three hundred waited in reserve. Under covering fire the assault began.

It didn’t take them long to get inside the pa, but the Maori had not moved out, instead taking cover in the defensive earthworks, and attacking the invaders, both with gun and in hand to hand.

Cameron mistakenly thinking that his men had taken the pa, ordered the reserves in. Inside was now bedlam, as confused soldiers were packed into a small pa as dusk settled around them. The confusion soon became panic. Someone cried out "My God, here they come in thousands!”, while others swore they heard the order to retire. The British retreated back to their own lines, all the time being shot at by the defenders. Cameron managed to regain order, and got his men to construct earthworks of their own beyond the pa. But many of their injured and dead comrades had been abandoned in the pa- what would be their fate? Chief of the Ngaiterangi Hori Ngatai later discribed what happened next

“We adhered strictly to the terms of the battle-covenant, and harmed not the wounded nor intefered with the bodies of the dead. The British Colonel (Booth) fell mortally wounded, just inside the gateway, and there he lay all night. In the hours of darkness his voice could be heard calling for water. One of our people went and got some and ministered to his wants. It has been said that Te Ipu gave the dying soldiers water, but he was badly wounded (foot smashed) and quite incapacitated. One of the Maoris took Colonel Booth's sword. Another wounded officer left behind after his men had retreated dropped his sword a little distance away. A maori picked it up and went to restore it to the officer. The pakeha squared himself up as well as he could to meet his death blow, but to his surprise the Maori turned the hilt toward him (the officer) and returned his weapon.”

Rawiri and his men were as good as their word. These acts of kindness would not be forgotten- perhaps most of all because the British had not expected them of a ‘savage race’.

By the next morning, when the attackers once more ventured to the pa, the Maori had slipped away. Behind the British licked their wounds, and counted the cost. 1,700 troops had been beaten by 200 Maori- and what’s more killed a hundred of them. And while Cameron made mistakes in his attack on the pa, it was also the Maori tactics and defences that proved their undoing. Their fierce defence, and use of earthworks was something unexpected.

Rawiri lived to fight another day, but it was not long after he was killed at Te Ranga only 4 miles from Gate Pa. But he would be remembered not only for his victory over an overwhelming force, but also for his fair treatment of prisoners before the Geneva Convention.