On this day in 1864, a remarkable Māori victory was achieved against tremendous odds.

The battle of Gate Pā, more than any other, convinced the British of the futility of assaulting a completed modern pa and undermined their will to continue the Waikato war.

158 years later, The Anglican Parish of Gate Pā held a short service at St. Georges Anglican Church on Friday, to commemorate the Battle of Gate Pā and to honour all those who fought and died in this event.

The event which started at 4pm, the same time as the British forces began their march up Pukehinahina, spoke of the battle and had a silent reflection with images playing.

Students from Gate Pā school attended the event, giving a reflection of the history their school is rooted on.

Tauranga's Jan Tinetti and Angie Warren Clark were also present at the commemoration.

At 4.30pm the bell sounded 60 times to remember the approximately 60 men who lost their lives in the battle.

The service finished with prayers/karakia for the future of Tauranga city.

Historian and Iwi representative Buddy Mikaere says in order to understand the present and why we're like this today, you need to understand the past and where we come from.

'In doing that, it helps going forward. You understand where we are now and you understand that it is a shared history and a shared heritage and that it belongs to us and so that's got to be a good foundation for reconciliation of the community, and that's our objective here basically.

'It's quite emotional to be here on this soil because of what happened here. But more recently it's more because I can see the range of people who have taken an interest in our history that turn up to this event every year – it's just wonderful.

'Over the years there has been an increase in interest and of the number of people that come through. It's now represented across the whole community,” says Buddy.

This year, Buddy has launched a project to build a new centre at the site that aims to establish Te Pūtake O Te Riri - Pukehinahina Gate Pa - the New Zealand Land Wars centre which will have a focus on 1864 and the battles at Pukehinahina - Gate Pā and Te Ranga.

Buddy says over the years, more people are joining to commemorate this historic event.

'I think it's a natural growth across the whole of New Zealand community.

'It's a kin to the growth of Te Reo, and the fact that you hear it all the time now – on TV and radio – you see more people say kia ora then they say hello.

'If you take an interest in the language, it easily leads your interest into other things,” says Buddy.

'The New Zealand culture is something that makes us unique in the world. This is just an outgrowth of that.”

Because St. Georges Church sits on the site of the Battle of Gate Pā, the Anglican Parish of Gate Pā community feels a sense of responsibility for holding the story of both the battles and the aftermath with integrity, and to offer ways the people can hear about, engage with and reflect upon these stories and what they mean for those living in Tauranga Moana.

2014 saw huge gatherings commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battles of Gate Pā and Te Ranga with some very significant events held on the actual days of the battles.

It continues to be the Anglican Parish of Gate Pā's hope that these would be the beginning of some ongoing events for the people of this city to engage with the story of the New Zealand Land Wars and the colonial past and how these shape present-day New Zealand society.

The Church offers this simple service as a contribution to this ongoing commemoration.