| Moutoa Gardens | |
|---|---|
 Moutoa Gardens with (from left) the Kemp Monument, the Māori War Memorial, the First School Memorial (foreground), and the Moutoa Monument (extreme right) | |
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| Type | Public park |
| Location | Whanganui |
| Coordinates | 39°55′54″S 175°03′24″E / 39.9318°S 175.0568°E |
| Operated by | Whanganui District Council |
| Status | Open all year |
Moutoa Gardens, also known as Pākaitore, is a park in the city of Whanganui, New Zealand. Named after the Battle of Moutoa Island in the Second Taranaki War, it contains a memorial to the battle inscribed "To the memory of the brave men who fell at Moutoa, 14 May 1864, in defence of law and order against fanaticism and barbarism."[1] It also contained a statue of John Ballance, organiser of a volunteer cavalry troop in Tītokowaru's War and later Premier of New Zealand, but the statue was beheaded and a replacement installed outside the district council building. A number of items present in the park are registered by Heritage New Zealand.
- ^ Cowan, James (1956). "Chapter 3: The battle of Moutoa". In Owen, R. E. (ed.). The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period: Volume II: The Hauhau Wars, 1864–72. Wellington: Government Printer.