Photos wanted for book on 28th Maori Battalion

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Harawira Gardiner (right) is writing the book on New Zealand's 28th Maori Battalion B company. Photo/Supplied

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Harawira Gardiner will do "whatever he has to do" to track down photographs of 400 men who served in New Zealand's 28th Maori Battalion B company.

Sir Harawira has been commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to write a record of the men who served in the 28th Maori Battalion.

"I'm a soldier, I served in Vietnam as a platoon commander and I am also a military historian," he said.

"I'm really interested in that area of our military history, so when the task came up I applied to write the book, and I was chosen."

Sir Harawira has been writer or co-writer of seven books on New Zealand military history, and wants to give an honest view of the men who served.

"I've written about these men, how their life was growing up, their formative experiences in the Bay of Plenty, how they were called up and then of course their journey through the campaigns of World War II," he said.

"In the book I've written about B company, which covers Taupo, Rotorua, Whakatane, Opotiki etc and 850-900 men from here signed up."

Sir Harawira said he wanted to include a roll call in the back of the book, with a photograph of each of the men who served in the unit.

"Rotorua Museum has been able to provide me with photographs of 500 men, but I'm still tracking down 400, so now I am asking the families for help," he said.

"I'll do whatever I have to do to get the photographs, I will travel to the families, I will jump out of a plane. It's a big job."

Leanne Tamaki, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, said the project was sponsored by the B Company Trust.

Trust chairman Graeme Vercoe said it was an appeal to "the B company community".

"It's supposed to be a legacy publication and really we should have done it years ago," he said.

"Unfortunately it never got done, but it's never too late."

Mr Vercoe said this was the first opportunity they had to engage with the men's whanau.

"To encourage them to share their photographs, their stories."

If you have a photo to contribute:
Email the photo to: info@28maoribattalion.org.nz.
Minimum 300 dpi, preferably a tif file.
Scanning the photo is recommended, rather than taking a photo of the photo.