I te 25 o Āperira, i tū tētahi rā whakamaumahara motuhake ki Te Papawhenua o Te Tiriti o Waitangi hei whakanui i ngā hōia o Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū.
Ko Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū te rōpū whawhai o te Hokowhitu Taua Tuarua o Aotearoa, ā, ko te nuinga o rātou he hōia Māori i whawhai i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao. I whakatūria tēnei ope taua i te tau 1940, ka mutu, ka pakanga rātou i ētahi o ngā riri matua, pēnei i Awherika ki te Raki, Kirihi, me Itari.
I mua i te wehenga atu ki Awherika me Ūropi i te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, ka whai wāhi atu Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū ki te whakanuitanga o te rautau o te Tiriti, i tū i te tau 1940.
I kaha whakamihia te ranga nei i tō rātou māia me ō rātou pūkenga whawhai, ahakoa tonu te tokomaha o ngā hōia i hinga i te mura o te ahi, ka mutu, kei tōna 650 te tokomaha i hinga, i whara rānei.
Ko Tā Robert Gillies anake te Ika-a-Whiro o tēnei ope e ora tonu ana. Ko tāna, he tuku i te haki whakamaumahara ‘Campaign me te Battle Honours’ e whakamānawa nei i ngā hōia i hinga atu i whenua kē, ā, kāore i hoki mai ki te kāinga.
Ahakoa ngā whakahāweatanga me ngā whakatakētanga i pā atu ki a rātou i Aotearoa nei, me tāwāhi, i whai wāhi matua Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū ki ngā riri o te ao. Nā rātou anō i whakaū te whakapapa me ngā kōrero e pā ana ki ngā ope taua Māori.
Ki te hiahia pānui koe i ētahi anō kōrero mō Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū, torohia tēnei whārangi: https://www.28maoribattalion.org.nz/story-of-the-28th.
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ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Celebrating the 28th Māori Battalion
On April 25th, a unique Anzac Day ceremony was held at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to pay tribute to the brave soldiers of the 28th Māori Battalion.
The 28th Māori Battalion was a New Zealand military unit comprised primarily of Māori soldiers who served in World War II. The battalion was formed in 1940 and fought in many major campaigns of the war, including in North Africa, Greece, and Italy.
Before being deployed to Africa and Europe during the Second World War, the 28th Battalion participated in the Treaty signing centenary in 1940.
The unit was highly regarded for their bravery and fighting ability. The battalion suffered heavy casualties during the war, with over 650 soldiers killed or wounded.
Tā Robert Gillies is the only surviving member of the 28 (Māori) Battalion. He will present the Campaign and Battle Honours Memorial flag in honor of the Battalion’s fallen hōia who never returned home.
Despite facing discrimination and prejudice both in New Zealand and overseas, the Māori Battalion made significant contributions to the war effort and helped to establish a legacy of Māori military service that continues to this day.
Read more about the 28th Māori Battalion here: https://www.28maoribattalion.org.nz/story-of-the-28th.
