1864: Monmouth Redoubt

March 22, 2025

By AHNZ

The Monmouth Redoubt was built by the 43rd Monmouthshire Light Infantry Regiment who had arrived in Tauranga in January 1864. It provided a refuge for women and children who slept on the floor fully dressed during this time, emergency rations and a bottle of water within reach. This and other fortifications cut enemy supply to the Waikato War but also brought the fight back to Tauranga.

The famous Gate Pa was created as a reaction to these this Tauranga Campaign in mid-year. The old site became the responsibility of Tauranga Borough Council in 1898¹ and has been a park since.

The news is that Tauranga City Council will “restore” the historic Monmouth Redoubt to “ensure long-term preservation and public access.” However it appears they are immediately ending short-term public access and ensuring long-term de-preservation of the park’s trees in particular.

Tauranga City Council itself has only just been restored having been taken over by Labour 6.0 and run by their administrating commissioners. While Big Government ran the city they set a deal in motion to sell off the marine precinct. Now that democracy has been restored (as of 20 July 2024) the council are trying to stop the sale in court. The new celebrity Mayor, Mahe Drysdale, said in October 2024: “Yeah, we’ll be completely up front—we’re not happy about the Marine Precinct. So, yeah, it’s a shit deal….Well, it is. It’s a shit deal. Yeah, we’ve, you know, we’ve inherited it. We didn’t, we didn’t feel it.” Ref. The Daily Brief, Reality Check Radio (17/3/2025)

Mayor Drysdale is also has “real question marks around safety” when it comes to the fluoridation of the municipal water supply but this local mater is out of local control. A clean water fountain outside the city limits is the proposed solution. Ref. Tauranga will fluoridate its water despite mayor voting no, 1News (2024)

So, the context of this change to Tauranga heritage is that we have a council that is not actually in possession of much control over its own city. Statism hurting the people it rules, as per usual.

“The Monmouth Redoubt project will include structural reinforcements of the redoubt banks and removal of four trees to protect archaeological features, a council statement said. The work will close the redoubt’s eastern pathway until late 2025…The removed trees will be repurposed by local hapū as whakairo (carvings), ensuring their cultural significance is preserved.” – Newsbeat (press release,) Tauranga City. Churnalism: NZ Herald (2025)

“This Redoubt was erected in 1864 by British troops including the 43^rd Monmouth light infantry after whom it was named. During these troubled times all European women and children in the settlement were accommodated at the mission station with a view to their protection by the military and had to sleep every night fully dressed with emergency rations of biscuits and a bottle of water within reach…it was impossible to restrain the natives any longer and that the women and children must take immediate shelter in the Redoubt. They were transferred there under heavy military guard and spent the remainder of the night on the floor of the soldiers blockhouse which stood where this memorial is erected. They remained in these cramped quarters until the arrival of Sellers’ Cutter, on the deck of which they had owing to unfavourable weather to spend another week before reaching safety and shelter in Auckland. To the memory of these gallant pioneers and the men who protected them, this memorial is dedicated to their grateful successors.” – monument at the redoubt, Wonderlust (2014)

“In January 1864 a 700-strong British force commanded by Brigadier-General G.J. Carey arrived at Tauranga by sea from Auckland. Two redoubts were built near the mission station. The aim was to prevent the flow of reinforcements and supplies from local Ngāi Te Rangi to the main Kīngitanga force in Waikato. Men of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and other Tauranga Māori who had been fighting in Waikato returned home to oppose the occupation of their lands.” – NZHistory.govt

Kinda sounds like what’s going on here is “exotic” trees are being “decolonised” here by Cr Rod Taylor from the park. Local Maoris are carving them up as tropihes while Taylor’s fellow building industry buddies get to lay some path and perhaps retaining wall.

I’m influenced by how this played out on Auckland’s volcanic cones over the last few years². Locals camped out to save their trees. But Tauranga Statists are wise. They’re closing off access for the rest of the year. That’ll let the sawdust fly! All under cover of “major restoration” of history. I’m cynical. We should keep an eye on things.

—
1 Ref. Tauranga 1882-1982, A.C. Bellamy (1982)

2 Ref. Honour the Maunga’s fight. AHNZ (2022)

Image ref. Wonderlust Wanderings In Time (2014)

Ref. Monmouth Redoubt, Tauranga, Timespanner (2011)

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