While leaders such as Apirana Ngata stressed the 'price of citizenship' line, ultimately many Māori enlisted for a mixture of reasons – to escape poverty or life in the backblocks or to follow their mates.
There would be men of Māori descent in all of the infantry battalions throughout the war, while numerous Māori volunteers were spread throughout the other services. They were in air crew serving with Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) in both Europe and the Far East.
Many Taranaki Māori opposed land sales, and fighting began in 1860 over a disputed land purchase at Waitara. The British army and Pākehā settlers fought local Māori until March 1861.
Economic and defensive considerations also motivated the New Zealand involvement—reliance on Britain meant that threats to Britain became threats to New Zealand too in terms of economic and defensive ties.
By the end of the war, 2227 Māori (and 458 Pacific Islanders) had served in what became known as the Māori Pioneer Battalion. Of these, 336 died on active service and 734 were wounded.
"By the end of the war, 2227 Maori and 458 Pacific Islanders had served in what became known as the Maori Pioneer Battalion. Of these, 336 died on active service and 734 were wounded. Other Maori enlisted (and died) in other battalions as well."
The Maori Contingent landed at Anzac Cove on 3 July 1915. Here they joined the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, who were being deployed as infantry on the peninsula. Some Māori had been at Gallipoli from the beginning, having enlisted in the provincial infantry battalions.
The first thing to note is that we were not legally bound to declare war on Germany. All the dominions of the British Commonwealth – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada and Ireland – had complete freedom in foreign policy.
Roosevelt described it as 'a date which will live in infamy' — 7 December 1941, the day the Japanese bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This was the opening salvo in the Pacific War. A day later, New Zealand, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan.
3 September 1939
In contrast to its entry into the First World War, New Zealand acted in its own right by formally declaring war on Germany (unlike Australia, which held that the King's declaration, as in 1914, automatically extended to all his Dominions).
New Zealand (Maori Wars) 1845 - 1872
Between 1845 and 1872 just over 2,500 Australian volunteers saw service in New Zealand. Though Australian born, troops all served in British regiments. The majority of these volunteers came from the colonies of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
The British were defeated during an attack (June 1860) on Puketakauere pā when the Māori executed a surprise counterattack, but the Māori were defeated at Ōrongomai in October and Maahoetahi in November. The war ended in a truce after the surrender of the Te Arei pā in late March 1861.
1863, Nov 20–21: The Battle of Rangiriri was a major engagement in the invasion of Waikato. More than 1400 British troops defeated about 500 warriors of the Kingitanga (Māori King Movement).
Partly because of their strength in war and political negotiation, Māori were accorded civil rights through the Treaty of Waitangi, more than a century before Aboriginal people became full citizens of Australia. Māori had four seats in Parliament from 1867, and were members of national sports teams from the beginning.
Despite initially being exempt from the 1916 Military Service Act, Māori from the most resistant tribes were registered for conscription in June 1917 after campaigning by Pomare. However, none were forced ultimately to serve overseas.
“Nearly 16,000 Māori enlisted for overseas service and around 3,600 served. By March 1943, 29,000 Māori, or one-third of the population, were contributing to the war effort, many of them civilians,” Wanhalla says.
A total of about 105,000 men and women from New Zealand served overseas during the Second World War. Of those nearly 7000 died on active Army service and a total of over 11,000 in all services. Nearly 16,000 were wounded as well.
Then, on 27 December 1940, the German raider Komet bombarded Nauru Island itself, destroying the phosphate plant. The attack provoked a stir in New Zealand. The Defence Force galvanised the Home Guard into action, and civilian authorities also prepared for the worst.
New Zealand Wars 1845-1864
The majority of men who enlisted were single men, however, around 1,000 wives and children joined them and settled in New Zealand. The books, Australians in the Waikato War 1863-1864, Australians at war in New Zealand and Blood brothers: the ANZAC genesis provide detailed information.
The reasons for Irish neutrality during the Second World War are widely accepted: that any attempt to take an overtly pro-British line might have resulted in a replay of the Civil War; that Southern Ireland could make little material contribution to the Allied effort, while engagement without adequate defence would ...
New Zealand is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and has been since 1997. Despite the political contention over ANZUS, New Zealand forces have since cooperated with U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War and in the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.
The main reason for New Zealand's involvement was the need to be seen to cooperate with our major ally, the US. New Zealand's National government was cautious in its approach to Vietnam. Prime Minister Keith Holyoake didn't question the morality of New Zealand involvement but he did doubt whether the war could be won.
The Battle of Hingakākā (sometimes written Hiringakaka) was fought between two Māori armies of the North Island, near Te Awamutu and Ohaupo in the Waikato in the late 18th or early 19th centuries, and was reputedly "the largest battle ever fought on New Zealand soil".
The war ended in a truce after the surrender of the Te Ārei pā in late March 1861. Māori remained in possession of the European-owned Tātaraimaka block of land.
Some 1,000 British soldiers, colonial settlers and their Māori allies died during the 27 years of war, while around 2,000 Māori are thought to have been killed opposing them.