It is the location of the Battle of Gate Pā in the 1864 Tauranga campaign of the New Zealand Wars.

Before the 2023 census, Gate Pa had a larger boundary, covering 2.08 km2 (0.80 sq mi).

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.0% had no religion, 32.1% were Christian, 3.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.9% were Hindu, 0.8% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 4.0% had other religions.

[3] The Gate Pa Shopping Centre opened in 2006 and covers 10,000 m².

It has 450 carparks and 21 shops, including Mitre 10 Mega and Spotlight.