Whanganui Māori Anzac service recognises role of Māori veterans in war efforts

Around 100 people gathered at the Māori Anzac Service at Pākaitore on Sunday. Photo / Lewis Gardner

A ceremony to commemorate the efforts of Māori servicemen and women took place at Pākaitore on Sunday, with a large group of descendants of troops lost at war paying their respects.

The service, held every Anzac Day at the memorial site in Pākaitore, is one of the oldest Māori services in the country, just as Whanganui's dawn service is also one of the longest-running.

The service specifically commemorates the efforts of Te Hokoehitu a Tu, the Māori Pioneer Battalion, as well as the 28th (Māori) Battalion.

Bathed in sunlight, albeit with some wind, attendees at Sunday's ceremony heard from many speakers, including Whanganui kaumātua John Maihi ONZM and Reverend Bernard Broughton.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Rangi Maniapoto, the chair of the 28th Māori Battalion Associate D Company, Whanganui branch.

After the service, Maniapoto told the Chronicle the service was special to many members of the community, including kuia and kaumātua who saw firsthand the effects that losing a generation of Māori leaders had.

"For us in Whanganui, it's an opportunity to keep the memory of the sacrifice they made alive," Maniapoto said.

Rangi Maniapoto explained the significance of the Māori contribution to New Zealand's overseas conflicts. Photo / Lewis Gardner

"For some little places like Whanganui, we lost a generation of leaders. Smaller places like Fordell lost a generation of country leaders - Māori and European. It left a big gap."

Maniapoto said the service wasn't just to recognise the efforts of Māori troops in World War I, but also the efforts of contemporaries in more recent conflicts.

"More recently in contemporary times, this service allows us to remember those who served in Malaya, Borneo, Korea and Vietnam and the middle-eastern actions and United Nations forces.

"This is an opportunity to remember their sacrifice, but also the sacrifice of our contemporaries."

Mayor Hamish McDouall lays a wreath at the memorial site on Pāikatore. Photo / Lewis Gardner