Media Releases

NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana Release to Coincide with Battle Anniversary

Released at 9:29 am on 23 April 2024

Photo: RNZ / Robert Trathem

On the morning of 29 April 1864, British colonial forces opened fire on Pukehinahina Gate Pā. This was the first engagement of a military campaign waged against the iwi of Tauranga Moana and their allies. Pukehinahina was followed by the Battle of Te Ranga, one of the bloodiest clashes of the NZ Wars, then Te Weranga the 1867 Tauranga Bush Campaign aimed to crush Māori resistance to the surveying and confiscation of lands. 
 
On the 160th anniversary of this momentous event, RNZ will launch Stories of Tauranga Moana, the next chapter of the award-winning NZ Wars series. The documentary will be available to view at rnz.co.nz/tauranga-moana from 8pm on 29 May, following a premiere screening earlier in the evening in Tauranga.

This fascinating documentary includes dramatic reconstructed battle scenes and detailed graphic representations of Pā sites and trenches.  Presented by Mihingarangi Forbes and featuring Dr Vincent O’Malley alongside esteemed iwi historians NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana recounts the events that unfolded in the Bay of Plenty and their far-reaching consequences for future generations of New Zealanders. 
 
RNZ Podcasts Senior Producer Justine Murray (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi te Rangi) presents her own personal connection to these stories through her tupuna Pāraone Koikoi in two-part podcast to be released on the same day. An ariki of the hapū Ngāi Tamarāwaho, Paraone was there at the Battle of Gate Pā. His son Ihakara would be killed in the battle, but afterwards his young daughter Te Auetu and wife Matatu would help the wounded on both sides. These stories are recorded in raupatu evidence in Waitangi Tribunal reports, given by Paraone's descendants. 
 
Over the past few months, Murray has interviewed her whānau about Paraone. While the stories are vague at times, the podcast version of this story hopes to paint a picture of this tupuna, who lived in Tauranga Moana at a time where conflict and the subsequent land confiscations would have tragic consequences. 
 
RNZ’s Tumu Māori Shannon Haunui-Thompson says the release of the new chapter on the anniversary of the first battle is meaningful, adding even more significance to the telling of the stories of Tauranga Moana. 
 
“This is the fifth chapter in a series that has won recognition in Aotearoa and beyond as outstanding storytelling. More than that, NZ Wars is a resource for all the people of Aotearoa, young and old, who want to understand our history.  
 
Stream or listen to NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana at rnz.co.nz/tauranga-moana, on YouTube or podcast platforms from 29 April. All chapters of NZ Wars and other RNZ history content is collected at rnz.co.nz/history.  
 
The video documentary is produced by Aotearoa Media Collective and Great Southern Television made with the support of NZ On Air.