St Michael’s Anglican Church near Ōhaeawai occupies part of the site of the pā aorund which the battle of Ōhaeawai was fought in the winter of 1845. Kawiti’s garrison of approximately 100 warriors withstood a week-long bombardment from the British before inflicting heavy casualties on their attackers on 1 July 1845.

Ōhaeawai, the prototype of the ‘modern pā’, was a major advance in the Māori response to new weaponry. The use of firing and communication trenches gave the occupants maximum protection while allowing rapid movement within the pā. Anti-artillery bunkers (rua) were set into the ground and covered with logs, stones and matted flax. Each could house 15–20 warriors in relative safety.

The church was built by local Māori as a symbol of peace and a tribute to Pākehā who had died in battle on the site in 1845. It was dedicated by Bishop Cowie on 21 April 1871.

Heta Te Haara (www.flickr.com/photos/archivesnz/17325540511), subsequently obtained permission to re-inter the British soldiers killed at Ōhaewai in the churchyard. A burial service was accordingly conducted on 1 July 1872 and a memorial cross erected. The cross bears a dedicatory inscription in Māori, but no names (the names of the 47 dead interred at the site are listed inside the church).

A framed account of the battle and a plan of the pā presented by the New Zealand Army on the church’s centenary in 1971 are also on display in the church. A brass plaque set into a boulder inside the churchyard gate commemorates the battle, the making of peace, the laying out of the cemetery and the construction of the church. This was unveiled on 1 July 1995.

This image was taken by T.Hann in 1978, and comes from a collection of National Publicity Studios prints.

Archives Reference: AAQT 6539 W3537 Box 6/ R9947

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