A Tale of Settlement Told Through Conflict

Abstract

Māori have always had a close relationship with their lands. During the time of conflict between Māori and Pākeha this relationship was strengthened through the changes made to the design of Māori fortifications or pā due to the possession of firearms. The Battle of Gate Pa (29th April 1864) is a very important part of Tauranga Moana and its history but today this site is an under-developed public space that has an arterial route cutting through the site, and the only reference to the battle is a small plaque and a church at the top of the hill. Specific moments of the battle will be highlighted in the design proposed in this thesis in order to examine and interpret the sense of connection between people and their land, where this design reflects the experiences of our tupuna (ancestors) in a time of conflict, through the forms and methods in a landscape design.

Tūrangawaewae and tangata whenua are two expressions that describe the connection the people of Tauranga Moana have with Gate Pa. The people of Tauranga are the tangata whenua and Gate Pa is their Tūrangawaewae. These two expressions create a bond that if the Māori respected the land it will protect them in return.

The design’s outcomes will focus on these experiences and refer to the actions of people involved in the battle, the key ideas behind the traditional land development from the original pa design, and spatial interventions that will engage with environmental, historical and economic issues relevant to the site. Māori are kaitiaki (guardians) of their ancestral lands, and have a guide for cultural understandings and practices inherited by their tupuna which will challenge the dominance of western cultural values infused in the practice of landscape architecture and urban design.