June 27, 2016
Wiremu Kingi pa site in public hands
New Plymouth District Council has bought Te Kohia Pa, where the first shots were fired at in the First Taranaki War in 1860.
Mayor Andrew Judd says it was the opportunity of a lifetime to bring a site of national significance into public ownership.
He sees it as an extension of Puke Ariki museum with an education centre that discusses not only what happened at the Peka Peka Block but also the wider story of the New Zealand wars.
The council will work with Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa and local hapu on a development plan for the 4 hectare Waitara site, that could include memorials, heritage and cultural tourism and education.
Otaraua chair Rawiri Doorbar says while almost every tangible sign of the battle at the L-shaped pa has been erased by farming and industry, the site is hugely significant to the hapu.
The site was identified by archaeological firm Geometria with additional confirmation by hapu and historians.
The pa’s exact location will be determined by archaeological investigations once the council takes possession in August and clears a house from the site.
After Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitaake and his people abandoned the pa, the English took detailed drawings of its network of covered trenches because they were so impressed with its complexity.
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