<p>Speech by Hon Dr Pita Sharples, Minister of Māori Affairs, at the launch of the 28th Māori
Battalion website at Parliament, 6 August 2009: part 2, followed by waiata. See <a href="/node/4271">Part 1 here</a>.</p><h2>Transcript</h2><p>In the latest <em>Toi Te Kupu</em>, a magazine for rangatahi
distributed across all of our kura, there is an article written by
Hinemāia Takurua, entitled Ngā Tama Toa.</p><p>In her own words, this young girl from Tolaga Bay Area School
reflects on the unique experience last October, in which several
thousand people re-enacted the 1946 return of the Maori Battalion’s C
Company, when the troops marched from the railway station to Te Poho o
Rawiri marae. Many of those marching carried photographs of their
tipuna who served in the Battalion. </p><p>Thinking of that time, Hinemaia says, <em>“Ka waipuketia te ngakau i te pōuri me te aroha”.</em></p><p>Over six decades since the Māori Battalion did us proud on the
battlefields of Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy, our children of
today are still overwhelmed with grief and with emotion, as they
recognise the sacrifice of those who have gone before them.</p><p>Today, those connections between the young soldiers of the 28th
Maori Battalion and the young pioneers of this age, become even
stronger.</p><p>This is a remarkable event, when with the flick of a switch, the
incredible stories of nearly 3,600 men who served overseas with the
Māori Battalion between 1940 and 1945, literally come to life.</p><p>And it is life in its absolute richness.</p><p>The heroes of this story are the men of the 28th Māori Battalion who so proudly served this country in World War 2. <br />
</p><p>Many of our finest and fittest volunteered in droves when government
agreed to Sir Apirana Ngata and other Māori MPs idea for an all-Māori
unit.</p><p>Sir Apirana acknowledged, <em>“we will lose some of the most promising young leaders, but we will gain the respect of our pakeha brothers”.</em></p><p>And so these promising young leaders left our shores in May 1940, to
maintain the fighting strength of the Maori Battalion, to defend their
country as a matter of duty and obligation.</p><p>We can follow their war trail by following the interactive map from Greece through to Trieste, Italy.</p><p>They persevered through battle in Greece and Crete, experiencing the ordeal of ferocious hand-to-hand fighting at Maleme.</p><p>They endured the harsh temperatures of the North African desert, the challenge of vicious sandstorms and swarms of flies.</p><p>At El Alamein in October 1942 the Māori Battalion suffered 100 casualties.</p><p>They fought under olive groves, along river valleys, and through the hazards of mud and snow.<br />
</p><p>They served with discipline and courage, experiencing victory and tragedy; surviving by a fierce sense of spirit and camradie.</p><p>The fearlessness of the 28th was legendary. General Freyberg, who
led the New Zealand division through the Greek, African, and Italian
campaigns noted that "<em>no infantry battalion had a more
distinguished record, or saw more fighting, or, alas, had such heavy
casualties than the Māori Battalion".</em></p><p>In 1943, the 28th distinguished itself in Tunisia; first in March,
where Lt <a href="/node/1988">Te-Moananui-A-Kiwa Ngarimu</a>’s inspired leadership helped the
successful seizure of Tebaga Gap.</p><p>Only a month later, the 28th was involved in one of the bloodiest
hand-to-hand battles at Takrouna. There, Sergeant <a href="/node/1603">Haane Manahi</a> led a
courageous group of men to scale a sheer cliff and fought for three
days to eventually overcome the German and Italian troops.</p><p>After its desert campaign, the 28th moved on to Italy where they
suffered terrible losses at the famous battle of Monte Cassino; 128 out
of 200 men were either killed, wounded or captured.</p><p>These astonishing stories of epic proportion are all now instantly available through this website.</p><p>We marvel, we reflect, we grieve as we come to know each of the 3600 men of the 28th now available on the fully searchable <a href="/roll" title="/roll">Battalion roll</a> which is a feature of the site.</p><p>We become immersed in their lives as we scroll through the pictures,
video and audio memories recorded during the war years and the written
transcripts of the oral histories of the veterans.</p><p>Lest we forget – we must keep alive the legendary contribution made
by the 3,600 who served overseas. We must remember them all - the 649
were killed in action or died on active service – the 1,712 men were
wounded; the 237 who were taken prisoner.</p><p><em>Ka waipuketia te ngakau i te pōuri me te aroha.</em></p><p>But there are other stories, other glimpses of life, which bring those days alive.</p><p>The Maori Battalion earnt respect not just as formidable soldiers
but as fierce opponents in military competitions in swimming, rowing,
boxing, tug-of-war, hockey and rugby.</p><p>And it wouldn’t be a true record of the Maori Battalion without recognising the enduring legacy of their concert parties.</p><p>The distinctive waiata and haka from home were accompanied with the
influence of the European arts – guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and piano
accordians. Italian songs like <em>Buona Notte Mio Amore</em> became part of the Battalion's repertoire.</p><p>There is a special space reserved to profile <em>Te Rau Aroha</em> – the Battalion’s own mobile canteen.</p><p>Te Rau Aroha – funded by donations from Maori school children-
followed the troops almost everywhere – bringing with it fruit, cakes,
chocolate, the latest news, cigarettes, and in Christmas time the
wonder of kaimoana – muttonbirds, shellfish, and other preserved
delicacies from home.</p><p>And we even learn about the distinctive taste of the North African puha, or as Captain <a href="/node/2245">M R Pene</a> put it, “<em>the dam stuff smelt like hell – it simply stank”.</em>
But considering that the only other food the troops had had even
vaguely resembling greens were dehydrated potatoes and carrot, the
local variety simply had to do.</p><p>The history is fascinating; the stories compelling.</p><p>And there is a particular strength evident in the way in which we learn how the Battalion was organised along tribal lines.</p><p>We link in to the “Gumdiggers” from the North, the “Penny Divers”
from the central and Bay of Plenty region, the “Cowboys” from the
coast, the “Foreign Legion” or “Ngāti Walkabout” from the south and the
remainder of the North Island including the Waikato, and the “Odds and
Sods”, which drew from all over the motu.</p><p>It is of note that the strength of tribal companies and hapu
platoons was one of the distinctive features of the Maori Battalion
leadership. It was the tribal muscle, along with the unique Maori
character, that created an outstanding front line; a formidable unity.</p><p>That unity was only strengthened by the massive war effort on the
home front - the Maori at home, serving in the Home Guard, growing
food, working in essential industries and raising funds.</p><p>It is an absolute privilege to be associated with this event today.</p><p>This gathering is as important an opportunity to honour and revere
the 28th Māori Battalion, as it is a celebration of the special
website, <a href="/" title="28maoribattalion.org.nz/">www.28maoribattalion.org.nz</a>.</p><p>As each year passes, such opportunities become even more precious
especially for the surviving fifty-one 28 veterans and their whānau. </p><p>This is no less true for those in the wider whānau of the returned services association all over the motu. </p><p>Before I close, I want to acknowledge all those agencies that made it possible for the website to go live:</p>
<ul><br /><li>Ministry of Culture and Heritage;</li><li>National Library of New Zealand;</li><li>Ministry of Education;</li><li>Te Puni Kōkiri; and of course</li><li>28th Māori Battalion Association.</li></ul>
<p>They have helped to get this website going – the rest is up to you now.</p>
<p>For the next three to five years, registered contributors will be
able to add their own memories to add to the richness already available
on the site. The site has been live only since the end of June and
already there are 39 registered users.</p><p>Finally, I want to take us all back in time to the Gaiety Theatre in
Ruatoria, late in the afternoon of the 25th January, 1946. As the
contingent of the C Company filed through the door of the theatre, lead
by Porikapa Awatere in an immaculate white suit, the sentiment of Tomo
Mai, especially composed for the occasion, truly brought the emotions
home. And then Sir Apirana said, </p>
<p>“<em>You and your comrades did what we expected of you. Bred as you
are, you could not have done less. You come from families that have
never failed in their loyalty, and if you had not their blood you could
not have made that contribution that meant so much to the Maori
Battalion in the field”.</em></p><p>Today we pay our respects to all those who served overseas on our
behalf. We reflect on their discipline and courage. And our hearts
are flooded with sadness for all those who have gone.</p><p>They lived and died in ways which told us it was an honour to serve.</p><p>We now, honour them by officially launching this website to recognise their outstanding contribution to our nation.</p>