Why is this place significant?

Why is this place Category 1 / Category 2?

There are several historical accounts of the battle at Te Pōrere and it is clear that there multiple and often conflicting stories. As Wilson (1961: 49) attests, "the story of the battle became embroiled with myth and fiction" with the passage of time. During the period 2 - 4 October 1869, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas McDonnell and his government forces marched to the Māori settlement of Papakai where a sighting of Te Kooti had been reported. They found the settlement deserted but trained militia scouts soon discovered that Te Kooti had established himself at a redoubt called Te Pōrere (the upper redoubt) on a hill to the east. They also learned that some of Te Kooti's supporters were based at a smaller outpost closer to the Whanganui River, whilst others were positioned in the bush directly west of the upper redoubt. It is estimated that Te Kooti's supporters numbered between 300 and 400, and that approximately one third were women. Major Kemp (Keepa Te Rangihiwinui) and his men soon joined McDonnell at Papakai, and it is estimated that their combined forces numbered over 500. On the basis of figures provided by Major Kemp and the writings of McDonnell, it has been determined that the gathered troops consisted of approximately 100 Europeans from the No. 2 Division of the Armed Constabulary; 112 Whanganui Maori led by Major Kemp; 100 members of Te Arawa led by Captain St. George and Lieutenant Preece; 130 members of Ngāti Kahungunu led by Hēnare Tomoana and Renata Kawepo, and 100 members of Ngāti Upokoiri who met up with Renata Kawepo as he passed through inland Patea. McDonnell issued an order to storm the Te Pōrere redoubts at first light on 4 October 1869, and historical accounts of the battle indicate that a three-pronged attack was devised, with Major Kemp and his Whanganui forces advancing from the left, Ngāti Kahungunu from the right and McDonnell and the Armed Constabulary from the centre. Wilson's (1961: 44-46) summary of the ensuing battle is based upon the accounts of Major Kemp and McDonnell, and indicates that the Whanganui forces were the first to reach Te Kooti's supporters at the lower redoubt. The Te Arawa and Ngaāti Kahungunu contingents had meanwhile encountered some of Te Kooti's supporters on the banks of the Whanganui River and forced them to retreat to their outposts. The combined government forces then approached the upper redoubt, with Ngāti Kahungunu in front, Te Arawa to the right and the Whanganui contingent and Armed Constabulary to the left. As they approached, Te Kooti hoisted two white flags emblazoned with a half moon, a cross and the letters 'W.J.' in red. As the government forces moved in on the upper redoubt, a bullet to the head killed Captain St. George. Captain St. George was the only European casualty of the entire battle and is believed to have been killed by Peita Kōtuku who later claimed "It was I who shot a pakeha officer as he was leading his men in a charge up to the front of the pa". The upper redoubt could not be fully surrounded as some of Te Kooti's forces maintained a heavy fire from higher ground to the west and from the bush to the north, but the invading forces did manage to reach the trenches on three sides, and tried to undermine the parapets. The redoubt was stormed shortly after, but Te Kooti had already escaped into nearby bush. There were three further casualties from the government forces, and three men were also injured. The deceased were: Komene (Te Arawa), Pape (Whanganui) and Winiata (Whanganui), who is said to have died whilst standing on top of the wall of the redoubt, shooting down upon Te Kooti's supporters inside. A total of thirty-seven of Te Kooti's supporters were killed during the battle of Te Porere, and seventy were injured. McDonnell official dispatch reported that twenty-seven bodies were found inside the redoubt, and another ten were discovered on the battlefield. McDonnell later wrote, "We buried their dead by throwing down the sides of the angle on them", and as previously noted, human remains were later discovered in the north-western flanking angle, which is now marked with a memorial stone. A number of Te Kooti's supporters were also taken prisoner, but the exact figure is unknown. The reported total varies from twenty to seventy. Historical accounts indicate that the battle of Te Pōrere was brief, and after the defeat, the government forces returned to their camp with the prisoners. Te Porere subsequently became known as the site of Te Kooti's "last stand", and lay relatively untouched until the 1950s.

The three integral features of the Te Pōrere battle-site are the upper redoubt (T19/55), lower redoubt (T19/56) and rifle pit (T19/57). These three sites are "intimately associated in that they were designed and constructed as a whole, for use in a single engagement". Upper Redoubt (T19/55) The upper redoubt (also referred to as Mahaukura and the 'main redoubt') was modelled on a classic form of British redoubt, with earthen walls surrounded by a discontinuous outer ditch in a simple square plan (approximately 20 metres by 20 metres), and flanking angles in the north-western and south-eastern corners that would have held about twenty men each. Contemporary descriptions of the redoubt provide varying estimates for the height of the walls, ranging from 8 feet to 12 feet, but today there are few sections of the wall that exceed two metres (six feet, six inches). An inner ditch is present along parts of the wall, and it has been suggested that this may have been required to keep Te Kooti's men below the line of fire. Historical descriptions of the battle indicate that loopholes were also present in the walls of the redoubt, but they were no longer visible when the NHPT became involved with the management of the site in the late 1950s. The upper redoubt's entrance consists of a small break in the exterior ditch and outer western wall, with a small covering wall on the interior. This type of entrance is referred to as the "traverse method of defended access", and is derived from British redoubt construction. A further interesting feature of the upper redoubt is a low wall (also referred to as a 'breastwork') than runs across the interior of the redoubt from the eastern wall to the entrance in the western wall. The reason for this low wall is unclear, but it was possibly uncompleted. Lower redoubt (T19/56) The lower redoubt, also referred to as the "small pa", is located on a slight spur immediately west of the Whanganui River. It was recorded by Colin Smart in 1960, and is described as "a complicated maze of trenches" that would have provided cover from most directions. The sod and pumice walls are lower than those of the upper redoubt, and measure only four feet in most parts. The entrance is marked by a break in the wall at the eastern end, and there are also several minor projections of the wall into the trenches, which may have served as "defensive cross-barriers". Two loopholes were recorded by Smart in the north-western corner of the lower redoubt, where it was noted that the soil was rather sandy in comparison to the pumice and sod matrix of the other walls. These loopholes had a rectangular cross section and were approximately 15 centimetres wide and 7.5 centimetres deep. Their height above ground was recorded as three feet, and whilst some subsidence is likely, the defenders of the pa must have crouched beneath the wall to avoid the fire. Rifle pit (T19/57) The rifle pit is located to the east of the Whanganui River, some distance from the upper redoubt. Whilst the distance between the rifle pit and upper redoubt would suggest that it was used as an observation post, it is not positioned at a high enough elevation to provide commanding views of the surrounding landscape. The primary feature of the rifle pit is a five-foot deep trench that would have provided protection against fire from the east, but there are also subsidiary trenches that taper off to a depth of only 1 foot.

Information Sources

Other Information

Hapu: Ngati Hikairo Historic Reserve: New Zealand Gazette: 1966: 1581, 1977: 2700 Maori Reserve: New Zealand Gazette: 1959: 519, 1963: 1561, 1964: 1763 Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.