To what extent was the Tauranga Campaign of the New Zealand Wars a success for British forces and how effective was it in breaking the Māori King movement (Kīngitanga).
Michail Andreef
The Tauranga campaign was a period of the New Zealand wars that ran from January 21st, 1864, to June 21st, 1864. General Duncan Cameron was put in charge of the campaign with the mission of controlling Tauranga harbour for the British government and creating a blockade from the north so that Māori reinforcements from apparently neutral tribes could not travel to assist Māori forces fighting in the Waikato War.
Against the overwhelming might of the British army was the cunning tactics of the Ngāi Te Rangi iwi. Outnumbered and with substantially less resources, they would have to use superior strategy to repel the British forces – a goal that would lead to a devastating loss for the British at the battle of Gate Pā. Ultimately, however, the Tauranga campaign proved to be a success for the British and they struck a blow that ended the conflict in Tauranga and in doing so, ended the Waikato War. However, the British could not deliver a fatal blow to Kīngitanga, a movement that still persists today.
Against the overwhelming might of the British army was the cunning tactics of the Ngāi Te Rangi iwi. Outnumbered and with substantially less resources, they would have to use superior strategy to repel the British forces – a goal that would lead to a devastating loss for the British at the battle of Gate Pā. Ultimately, however, the Tauranga campaign proved to be a success for the British and they struck a blow that ended the conflict in Tauranga and in doing so, ended the Waikato War. However, the British could not deliver a fatal blow to Kīngitanga, a movement that still persists today.
The battles of Pukehinahina (Gate Pā) and Te Ranga
The Tauranga campaign is defined by two key battles. The battle of Gate Pā, and the battle of Te Ranga. Gate Pā can only be described as a humiliating defeat for the British. A battle in which there would be significant casualties for the attacking force. Ngāi Te Rangi knew that the British were trying to control Tauranga harbour, and actively sought to disrupt and provoke them into a larger conflict to try and secure a victory over British forces. Despite a full-scale battle playing into the hands of Ngāi Te Rangi, General Cameron could not allow the raids to continue, and so he and his force of 1700 men marched through Tauranga. On the 29th of April 1864 they were ready for their assault – what should have been an easy victory for the British. However, even with an 8-hour artillery bombardment, a 300-man attacking force, and a 300-man reserve group the battle would not go to plan. The Pā had been filled with artillery bunkers, enabling the Māori defenders to survive the bombardment, and wait for the British troops to enter the Pā to ambush them. The following battle would be a confusing and one-sided engagement with the strategic Ngāi Te Rangi emerging victorious and a disgraced Cameron forced to accept defeat and the loss of 35 men, with another 75 injured – Twice that of the Māori casualties.
Despite their loss at Gate Pā, the British would seize a decisive victory at the battle of Te Ranga on the 21st of June 1864. After their victory at Gate Pā, Ngāi Te Rangi was joined by Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Porou in constructing a new Pā at Te Ranga, 5 kilometres inland from Gate Pā. Unfortunately, it was not completed in time, and on the 21st of June, Colonel H. H. Greer led an assault of 600 men on the 500-man defenders in their unfinished fortifications. The British were eager to take revenge for their loss at Gate Pā. In particular, the 43rd regiment who had lost the most soldiers of any regiment during the year 1864 – many of which died during the battle of Gate Pā. The result was a massacre of the defending Māori. Over 100 Māori were killed or wounded with minimal casualties incurred on the side of the British.
With this victory, the Tauranga campaign ended, and the Waikato War followed suit as surviving Kīngitanga forces either surrendered or fled. Below are multiple graphs showing the severity of the campaign and the heavy losses incurred on both sides.
The Tauranga campaign is defined by two key battles. The battle of Gate Pā, and the battle of Te Ranga. Gate Pā can only be described as a humiliating defeat for the British. A battle in which there would be significant casualties for the attacking force. Ngāi Te Rangi knew that the British were trying to control Tauranga harbour, and actively sought to disrupt and provoke them into a larger conflict to try and secure a victory over British forces. Despite a full-scale battle playing into the hands of Ngāi Te Rangi, General Cameron could not allow the raids to continue, and so he and his force of 1700 men marched through Tauranga. On the 29th of April 1864 they were ready for their assault – what should have been an easy victory for the British. However, even with an 8-hour artillery bombardment, a 300-man attacking force, and a 300-man reserve group the battle would not go to plan. The Pā had been filled with artillery bunkers, enabling the Māori defenders to survive the bombardment, and wait for the British troops to enter the Pā to ambush them. The following battle would be a confusing and one-sided engagement with the strategic Ngāi Te Rangi emerging victorious and a disgraced Cameron forced to accept defeat and the loss of 35 men, with another 75 injured – Twice that of the Māori casualties.
Despite their loss at Gate Pā, the British would seize a decisive victory at the battle of Te Ranga on the 21st of June 1864. After their victory at Gate Pā, Ngāi Te Rangi was joined by Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Porou in constructing a new Pā at Te Ranga, 5 kilometres inland from Gate Pā. Unfortunately, it was not completed in time, and on the 21st of June, Colonel H. H. Greer led an assault of 600 men on the 500-man defenders in their unfinished fortifications. The British were eager to take revenge for their loss at Gate Pā. In particular, the 43rd regiment who had lost the most soldiers of any regiment during the year 1864 – many of which died during the battle of Gate Pā. The result was a massacre of the defending Māori. Over 100 Māori were killed or wounded with minimal casualties incurred on the side of the British.
With this victory, the Tauranga campaign ended, and the Waikato War followed suit as surviving Kīngitanga forces either surrendered or fled. Below are multiple graphs showing the severity of the campaign and the heavy losses incurred on both sides.
Was the campaign a success?
Despite the initial defeat at Gate Pā, the Tauranga campaign was largely a success for the British. With the fighting over, vast amounts of Māori land seized, and many of the Māori King’s followers either scattered, imprisoned, or dead the British were easily able to secure a victory in the Waikato. However, the blow that they had wished to deal to the Māori King movement had not been dealt. Because of this, the claim that the British were successful is disputed.
Despite the initial defeat at Gate Pā, the Tauranga campaign was largely a success for the British. With the fighting over, vast amounts of Māori land seized, and many of the Māori King’s followers either scattered, imprisoned, or dead the British were easily able to secure a victory in the Waikato. However, the blow that they had wished to deal to the Māori King movement had not been dealt. Because of this, the claim that the British were successful is disputed.
Selected Historians’ views.
James Belich views the campaign as a “limited” victory because the King movement persisted despite the efforts made to crush it. The British were unable to stamp out the embers of resistance to their rule. Despite this, because of the amount of land seized that had belonged to supporters of the Māori King, the campaign was successful in creating a temporary peace in which the British could operate. James Cowan believes that the campaign was successful at assuring peace, but unsuccessful at securing the general pacification of the Māori population. A viewpoint that was supported by the Provincial Council of Otago which said that the conflict in the North Island was a “deplorable loss of life” that ultimately achieved no appreciable results. The Tauranga campaign was a success for British forces, even though Kīngitanga continued after the defeat at Te Ranga – security within the Waikato was achieved. However, the defeat at Gate Pā and the heavy losses which the British incurred there due to poor leadership decisions and the tactics of Ngāi Te Rangi highlight that the success of the campaign was largely due to the difference in the numbers of soldiers and resources between the two groups. Furthermore, despite being damaged and scattered, Kīngitanga persisted – although not as active as they once were; with many of Ngāi Te Rangi surrendering after the battle of Te Ranga. |
Overall, the Tauranga campaign could not be called an overwhelming military success for the British due to needless heavy casualties, and it was unsuccessful in crushing Kīngitanga as it hoped to. It did succeed in capturing land belonging to Kīngitanga supporters and supressing the King movement, and while that is enough to justify the campaign, the real victory and lasting consequence of this is that it enabled the British to operate more effectively in the Waikato.
Despite all the criticisms of the campaign, the long-term success is that it provided Britain a stronger and more peaceful foothold on New Zealand. Which ultimately was what military leadership wanted to achieve – even if the path to get there was more challenging than they had envisioned.
Despite all the criticisms of the campaign, the long-term success is that it provided Britain a stronger and more peaceful foothold on New Zealand. Which ultimately was what military leadership wanted to achieve – even if the path to get there was more challenging than they had envisioned.
Note and Bibliography
Information regarding the casualty rates of British soldiers was acquired from the Soldiers of Empire project thanks to everyone who contributed to that dataset. And special thanks to Rebecca Lenihan for their support in gathering that data.
Primary Sources
Buddle, Thomas, ‘The Māori King Movement in New Zealand: with a Full Report of the Native Meetings Held at Waikato, April and May, 1860’ (New York: AMS Press, 1979) 1st AMS ed.
British troops movements in the Waikato Campaign during the period of 1863-1864, Tauranga city libraries, Ref: Map 19-241
Confiscated Land Areas, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland city Libraries – Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Ref: NZ Map 471
Fox, William, ‘The War in New Zealand’ (London: Smith, Elder and Company, 1866)
‘The War in New Zealand’ The Examiner, 22 October 1864, pg. 682
U.K Parliament, ‘New Zealand: Further Papers relative to the Affairs of New Zealand’, 19th Century House of Lords Sessional Papers, Vol. 13, 1867
WO100/18: New Zealand Medal Lists, The National Archives, Kew
WO12: Quarterly Muster Rolls, WO12 series, National Archives, Kew
WO334-34: Annual return of deaths &c for the year 1864: Regiments of Infantry at home and abroad.
Secondary Sources
Allen, Micah et al. ‘Raincloud plots: a multi-platform tool for robust data visualization’ Wellcome open research, Vol. 4, 2019, pg. 63
Belich, James, ‘The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict’ (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2015)
Belich, James, and Sylvia. Hill. ‘The New Zealand Wars: Changing Perceptions of a Shared Past’ (Wellington: Learning Media for the Ministry of Education, 2000)
Cowan, James, ‘The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Māori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period: Volume II: The Hauhau Wars, 1864-72’ (Wellington: R. E. Owen, 1956)
Evelyn, Stokes, ‘The confiscation of Tauranga lands = Te Raupatu o Tauranga Moana: a report’ (Hamilton: University of Waikato, 1990)
Manovich, Lev, ‘What is visualisation?’, Visual Studies, Vol. 26, no. 1, 2011, pp. 36-49
Mikaere, Buddy, ‘Victory at Gate Pā?: the battle of Pukehinahina-Hate Pā: 1864’ (Auckland: New Holland Publishers, 2018)
O’Malley, Vincent, ‘The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800–2000’ (Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 2016)
O’Malley, Vincent, ‘The New Zealand Wars: Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa’ (Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 2019)
Rosenfeld, Jean Elizabeth, ‘The Island Broken in Two Halves: Land and Renewal Movements Among the Māori of New Zealand’ (Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999)
Sorrenson, M. P. K. ‘Ko Te Whenua Te Utu: Land Is the Price: Essays on Māori History, Land and Politics’ (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2014)
Information regarding the casualty rates of British soldiers was acquired from the Soldiers of Empire project thanks to everyone who contributed to that dataset. And special thanks to Rebecca Lenihan for their support in gathering that data.
Primary Sources
Buddle, Thomas, ‘The Māori King Movement in New Zealand: with a Full Report of the Native Meetings Held at Waikato, April and May, 1860’ (New York: AMS Press, 1979) 1st AMS ed.
British troops movements in the Waikato Campaign during the period of 1863-1864, Tauranga city libraries, Ref: Map 19-241
Confiscated Land Areas, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland city Libraries – Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Ref: NZ Map 471
Fox, William, ‘The War in New Zealand’ (London: Smith, Elder and Company, 1866)
‘The War in New Zealand’ The Examiner, 22 October 1864, pg. 682
U.K Parliament, ‘New Zealand: Further Papers relative to the Affairs of New Zealand’, 19th Century House of Lords Sessional Papers, Vol. 13, 1867
WO100/18: New Zealand Medal Lists, The National Archives, Kew
WO12: Quarterly Muster Rolls, WO12 series, National Archives, Kew
WO334-34: Annual return of deaths &c for the year 1864: Regiments of Infantry at home and abroad.
Secondary Sources
Allen, Micah et al. ‘Raincloud plots: a multi-platform tool for robust data visualization’ Wellcome open research, Vol. 4, 2019, pg. 63
Belich, James, ‘The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict’ (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2015)
Belich, James, and Sylvia. Hill. ‘The New Zealand Wars: Changing Perceptions of a Shared Past’ (Wellington: Learning Media for the Ministry of Education, 2000)
Cowan, James, ‘The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Māori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period: Volume II: The Hauhau Wars, 1864-72’ (Wellington: R. E. Owen, 1956)
Evelyn, Stokes, ‘The confiscation of Tauranga lands = Te Raupatu o Tauranga Moana: a report’ (Hamilton: University of Waikato, 1990)
Manovich, Lev, ‘What is visualisation?’, Visual Studies, Vol. 26, no. 1, 2011, pp. 36-49
Mikaere, Buddy, ‘Victory at Gate Pā?: the battle of Pukehinahina-Hate Pā: 1864’ (Auckland: New Holland Publishers, 2018)
O’Malley, Vincent, ‘The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800–2000’ (Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 2016)
O’Malley, Vincent, ‘The New Zealand Wars: Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa’ (Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 2019)
Rosenfeld, Jean Elizabeth, ‘The Island Broken in Two Halves: Land and Renewal Movements Among the Māori of New Zealand’ (Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999)
Sorrenson, M. P. K. ‘Ko Te Whenua Te Utu: Land Is the Price: Essays on Māori History, Land and Politics’ (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2014)