Historic NZ War site in Northland gets $8.5m funding for restoration

Tuesday, 1 September 2020

An historic pā site credited for inventing modern trench warfare – which was then replicated in World War I – will be restored with $8.5 million in funding.

The Provincial Growth Fund money will allow Ruapekapeka Pā to be improved, and access to the pā sealed, ahead of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Te Ruapekapeka in February 2021.

The pā site, at Towai in the Far North, is a site of national historical importance, particularly to Māori, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said on Tuesday.

Ruapekapeka Pa in Northland is one of New Zealand’s best preserved war sites. (File photo from 2004)

Five years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, disagreement over its interpretation turned into an armed uprising, known as the Northern War, which was an integral part of the New Zealand Wars.

**READ MORE:

Te Ruapekapeka Trust Chairperson Allan Halliday greets Department of Conservation northern North Island director manager Sue Reed-Thomas at the official signing of a strategy and plan for Ruapekapeka Pā in December 2018.

* Looking back on the Northern War will help inform Ngāpuhi's future

* Miniature figures lines up to recreate New Zealand Land War

* Coronavirus: Waitangi Day event funding dependent on alert level planning

During a grave excavation in 2017, Wiremu Keretene and the Department of Conservation’s Andrew Blanshard, archaeologist Jonathan Carpenter and Kipa Munro perform a traditional chant.

The conflict between British colonial forces and northern Māori in 1845 and 1846 culminated in the battle of Ruapekapeka Pā, where 400 Māori warriors fought against some 1600 British soldiers and their Māori allies.

The pā was built by Ngāti Hine rangatira Te Ruki Kawiti and had intricate tunnels, rifle pits, trenches and formidable palisades, the kind of warfare methods taken into World War I.

Historian James Belich credited the pā as the site where trench warfare was invented, but other historians dismissed Belich’s claim as baseless post-colonial revisionism.

Jones said the site is historically important.

“Today Ruapekapeka has New Zealand’s best preserved battlefield. Ditches and bank defences, a cast iron cannon and earthen defences are still visible.”

In 2017, the communal grave of 12 British soldiers, killed in January 1846 during the final assault on Ruapekapeka Pā, was uncovered at the site. The soldiers will be commemorated with a memorial at the anniversary event in February.

Jones said $2m of the funding will allow Te Ruapekapeka Trust to present a balanced view of the battle.

”Hapū have the opportunity to research the involvement of their ancestors in the conflict, and to better understand both the Māori and British accounts of the battle at Ruapekapeka,” he said.

“The stories will be gathered and the sites where battles and skirmishes took place will be digitally linked. Viewing platforms will be built to allow views across the pā.”

The funding includes the installation of a pou (post) next to State Highway 1 to attract visitors to the pā and tūpuna pou (ancestral posts) for the pathway leading up to the pā. The work will be done by local carvers.

In December 2018, Te Ruapekapeka Trust and the Department of Conservation signed a strategy and plan for the reserve.

Jones said the trust now wants to ensure the pā is held in high regard and can become economically self-sufficient. Up to 16 people are expected to be employed at the pā during the development work.

“This work should encourage visitors to travel to other historical sites of the Northern War, which includes the Ōhaeawai where the British were first defeated.”

Other funding announced on Tuesday included $6.5 million for Far North District Council to upgrade and seal 4.7km of Ruapekapeka Rd from State Highway 1 at Towai to the pā.

Work on the road will start within the next six months, employing about 50 people over the next two years.