First Maori in 'white man's war'

When Britain called its colonies to help fight the Boers in South Africa in 1899, Coromandel goldminer and logger Walter Callaway was as keen as mustard. But there was a problem. Britain had made it clear that only white New Zealanders were welcome. No natives were wanted in "a white man's war".
Fortunately for Callaway, the son of a Maori woman and a European man, his European name got him in.
With the connivance of army officials he sailed with the First New Zealand Contingent to the South African War in September 1899 and became one of the first Maori to fight overseas for New Zealand.
He served with distinction in three deployments in South Africa, returning for the third time after being seriously wounded. He was decorated for bravery and eventually was made a lieutenant.
Callaway's remarkable story has been unearthed by Thames High School teacher Mike Dwight and recorded in a book that was launched recently at Callaway House at Kikowhakarere Bay, just north of Coromandel Town.
Mr Dwight's interest in the war stems from growing up in South Africa. His two grandfathers fought in the war, one in the same column as Callaway. When he emigrated to New Zealand, Mr Dwight settled in Thames and was delighted to find memorials commemorating the Boer War (as it was then known) in Thames and Paeroa but puzzled by current New Zealanders' lack of knowledge of the war. In reading about New Zealand's participation, he came across references to Callaway. "His name kept coming up and he seemed such a lively character. He won running races, he sang and played the violin - he seemed a complete all-rounder."
During the past five years, Mr Dwight has pieced together Callaway's story. He was among the 20 soldiers identified as Maori who fought in South Africa. He was among the first to enlist, among the first to serve abroad and among the first to become a commissioned officer in the New Zealand Army.
Maori were keen to play their part and were frustrated by the British no-natives dictum, Mr Dwight said. "Callaway and the others [with European names] sneaked in through the back door."
In a foreword to the book, Defence chief Jerry Mateparae says many Maori have followed in Callaway's footsteps: "Thanks to this enterprising and well-produced biography, we know a great deal more about Walter Callaway, a man who embodied many of the traits such as loyalty, courage and commitment that New Zealanders still hold dear."
Callaway died in 1926 at 52.