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The Battle of Omarunui was an engagement that took place on 12 October 1866 in the East Cape of New Zealand's North Island during the East Cape War.

Background
From 1843 to 1872, there were a series of conflicts in New Zealand between some local Māori people on one side, and British imperial and colonial forces and their Māori allies on the other. These clashes are collectively termed the New Zealand Wars. While some of the wars of this period were as a result of land confiscations or clashes with the Māori King Movement, many of the later conflicts were due to the rise of prophetic Māori leaders and religious movements which threatened the autonomy of the government. These movements also subverted tribalism so often were met with hostility by the leaders of many iwi (tribes) as well.

One such movement was Pai Mārire, which was founded by Te Ua Haumēne in 1862 in the Taranaki region. Although it initially espoused messages of peace, as the religion spread through the central North Island, some of its followers gained a reputation for violence. Consequently, Pai Mārire was of great concern to European settlers. Apostles of Pai Mārire began to make their presence felt on the East Coast by early 1865, and made several hundred converts among the local iwi. One of the leaders, Kereopa Te Rau, then murdered the missionary Carl Volkner at Opotiki on 3 March, sparking a series of punitive expeditions against Pai Mārire.

Prelude
Omarunui is located 13 km to the southwest of Napier. Although described as a pā (hillfort), it was essentially a village of several huts surrounded by a fence on three sides, and bounded by the Tutaekuri River on the remaining side. There were several fenced enclosures within the village.

Aftermath
The defeat of the Pai Mārire at Omarunui largely saw the end of the presence of the movement in the East Coast region. Many of those made prisoner after the battle were held captive without trial on the Chatham Islands. There they became followers of the warrior Te Kooti, another prisoner who had developed his own religion: Ringatu. Te Kooti led a mass escape from the Chathams, stealing a ship and returning to the East Cape of the North Island to begin what became known as Te Kooti's War.

After the battle, Omarunui itself was initially made tapu (sacred), on account of the deaths that took place there, but was later sold. The bodies of the dead buried on the battle site were disinterred and reburied elsewhere. In 1916, as the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Omarunui approached, a group of veterans sought to commemorate the engagement. A memorial to the engagement was built on a section of the battle site that was donated by its owner. John Davies Ormond, the Member of Parliament for the area at the time of the engagement, unveiled the memorial on 12 October 1916. A second memorial was raised at the Petane battle site the same year. Over time the memorial at Omarunui became seen as offensive to Māori and was vandalised in the 1990s, leaving only the base portion in place.