Tauranga campaign

Tauranga campaign
Part of the New Zealand Wars
Monument to Rāwiri Puhirake
Date 21 January 1864 - 21 June 1864 Location Bay of Plenty, New Zealand Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom: Colony of New Zealand	Tauranga Māori
Commanders and leaders
Duncan Cameron Henry Harpur Greer	Rāwiri Puhirake † Hoera te Mataatai
Units involved
Royal Navy HMS Miranda HMS Esk HMS Curacoa HMS Falcon HMS Harrier HMS Eclipse Royal Marine Artillery British Army 12th Regiment 14th Regiment 40th Regiment 43rd Regiment 65th Regiment 68th Regiment Royal Engineers Royal Artillery[1]   Militia 1st Waikato Militia	Tauranga Ngāi Te Rangi Ngāti Koheriki Ngāti Pikiao Ngāti Porou Ngāti Pukenga
Strength
1700	500
Casualties and losses
44 killed and 119 wounded	98 to 123 killed and 12 to 17 wounded

The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion of Waikato, which aimed to crush the Māori King (Kingitanga) Movement that was viewed by the colonial government as a challenge to the supremacy of the British monarchy.

British forces suffered a humiliating defeat in the Battle of Gate Pā on 29 April 1864, with 31 killed and 80 wounded despite outnumbering their Māori foe, but saved face seven weeks later by routing their enemy at the Battle of Te Ranga, in which more than 100 Māori were killed or fatally wounded, including their commander, Rawiri Puhirake.