The Gate Pa battle is not so much about races, i.e. Maori versus British, but more about rights and wrongs.

It is wrong to abuse other's rights. It was wrong for British to abuse Maori rights through unjust seizure of Maori land.

Those Maori weren't ignorant savages without rights (as may have been thought), but many were in fact well educated bible-believing Christians with the same rights as every other individual to undisturbed possession of property.

Those Maori were forced to stand and defend their rights. Trampling on someone else's rights is wrong.

K Taylor, Ohauiti.