Tina Bennett with her son Manuhuia Bennett entering St Faiths Church in Ohinemutu. Photo / Supplied
Tina Bennett with her son Manuhuia Bennett entering St Faiths Church in Ohinemutu. Photo / Supplied
This Anzac Day, Manuhuia Bennett will be remembering his namesake - Bishop Manuhuia Bennett, of St Faiths Church.
And yet, as the sun goes down and in the morning, Bennett (Ngāti Whakaue) often remembers his koro as the one who has laid the path out for him.
But this year,the day will be more poignant as it was recently that the 16-year-old came back to Rotorua to connect with his Turangawaewae (place where one has rights of residence and belonging) and to learn of the different kind of service Bishop Manuhuia gave in World War II.
Bishop Manuhuia Bennett is now buried at Kauae Cemetery. Photo / Supplied
As a chaplain in the war, the Bishop was in charge of looking after the boys' wellbeing and wairua, Bennett said.
"He contributed to the Māori Battalion in a different way through his whānau whanui (family support) and I think, through the mahi he has done in the military, his goal was to fix the presentation of the boys and their wairua."
With this in mind, the boy from Porirua tries to follow in his koro's footsteps; presenting himself as a gentleman and turning to faith while at Hato Paora College in Feilding.
Manuhuia thanks his namesake Bishop Manuhuia Bennett for leading him down the path of faith. Photo / Supplied
Although other koros have created different journeys for Bennett, he said it was Bishop Manuhuia who led him to become the sacristan at the college.
"You get quite excited at points when you have achieved many things but then, when you don't get your way, I feel like I have failed him," Bennett said.
"He is a good example, a humble man. Being a namesake I look to him to guide me."
The opportunity to reconnect with his whakapapa came to Bennett through the help of Dr Monty Soutar (Ngāti Porou), who has dedicated his life to gathering and presenting stories and images to show the contribution Māori soldiers made during the two world wars.
Bennett's journey of discovery will feature in a new documentary, Whītiki, released on Saturday.
While it was a dream come true for Bennett, it was also a life-changing experience for his mother, Tina Bennett, who accompanied her son through the journey.
Manuhuia Bennett will feature in Whītiki, a documentary on the contribution Māori gave in the World Wars. Photo / Supplied
It was while watching her son being taught about their tūpuna's history, and how to march while singing the songs of war as their ancestors did, that the gravity of it hit Tina.
"I was thinking about those mothers, and if I was in their shoes 100 years ago.
"How does a mother feel when their child goes to war and when their child doesn't return?"
But it was the courage of Bishop Manuhuia that resonated with her, she said.
"He was more than a chaplain in the Māori Battalion. He had to counsel those boys and he had to bring that mamae (hurt) back.
"The mana of the chaplain to be able to uphold all that mamae for those mothers, to come back and do pastoral care and support the mothers who lost their children.
