The Shocking History of New Zealand's Incredible Maori Soldiers

I'm an Aussie, and I've served in the army. Aussie and Kiwi troops are top class but Maroris are from a warrior culture, maybe like Spartans. They are something different. No fear, pure aggression to get the job done.

I have met Apiata twice. The times I met him was when he came to the secondary school where I worked to speak to our students along with other ex-SAS comrades. He is an incredibly humble man, and it takes a lot for him to speak in front of large groups, but he has a huge mana which gets straight to the heart of even the most cynical and know-it-all 14 year old. His message is eloquent and its thesis is: never give up, and always support your comrades/community, whoever they may be. Both times he brought his medals - including his VC which is worth over $250,000 on the open market - and handed them out to the hall of over two hundred children to pass around. I have a photo of myself holding them, it brings tears to my eyes. He and his comrades from the SAS are formidable just to have in the same room. The mana is palpable just looking at the eyes of these quiet men who have stared death in the face over and over, and risked everything for each other. He is one of the main reasons I am proud to be from Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Maori Battalions and the soldiers that served in the New Zealand Defence force deserve the utmost respect... The 1st and 2nd world war's took many lives most of them were just kids at the time the cream of Maori communities served young men not all returned home. At the going down of the Sun and in the morning we will Remember them. Lest we forget.

My father in law was in the South African sappers in North Africa against the Afrika Corp stationed next to the Māori Battalion. He told me that a message was sent to Montgomery from the Germans to ask the when the Māoris overrun the German lines not to bayonet all the Germans, Montgomery never replied. My father in law told this story when he visited us in NZ when we were in Waitangi.

Thank you for doing this video bro. During boot camp most of my instructors were Maori. You couldn't help but admire them. They were hard men, but humble at the same time. You truly feel like you are part of their family if they could see you putting in you 120% I so wish I could go back to those days.

I'm new to your channel, and I'm very impressed with 1) your careful and open citation of sources, 2) your effort to properly pronounce the Maori language, and 3) your simple and direct presentation (without unnecessary and distracting graphics). Thanks for sharing. And best wishes from Aotearoa New Zealand!

I appreciate the effort to pronounce our people's name correctly.

An amazing tradition of Maori families is to sometimes name children after the fallen soldiers or the placenames where they fought. One of my workmates was called Alamein, and when I asked, she told me her uncle had fought there and lost his life. Her father of course, had survived. He honoured his brother by naming his daughter Alamein, a name she carried proudly and with honour.

I think it is absolutely wonderful that the contributions of the Maori people are finally being recognized. Like the gurkhas, their contributions to the 1st and 2nd world wars should be recognized by everyone. May bien, amigo y gracias de Dios.

Thanks for telling the Maori war story with such respect. They served us well and we thank them. Kiwi Dave.

Apparently Ngarimu ran out of grenades at one point and started throwing rocks into machine gun nests. A thump is a thump in the pitch black. Lol.

Freyberg was doing a troop's inspection with Montgomery,while travelling through the Kiwi's camp in a vehicle,Monty turned to Freyberg and asked, don't your troops salute you when you go by, Freyberg smiled and said,just wave, they'll wave back 😊 Typical Kiwi response,

I cannot imagine the psychological impact the Haka would have in the world wars. No way a Turk or German grunt heard or seen anything like it.

Thank you for this episode. I highly respect all our Maori Battalion brothers and coming from a part Maori family myself it is my absolute pleasure to tell you one of my brothers was a SAS member for many years. A hero in my eyes and now residing in heaven. Many of our military brothers were also affected by chemicals during warfare and suffered the consequence of cancer and the like. My brother suffered 8 years of cancer after being the epitome of health and vitality. The brothers still here treat us with so much love it is truly amazing. We may not have my brother here now but we have many more brothers here who remind us of his love and strength and give that to us also. Thank you from my heart for your presentation about our heroes.

My late father a kiwi soldier served in the midle east and at night the Maori regiments would do their Hakas. And Hakas could be heard by kiwi and Aussies saying thank God they are on our side!😂

The WW2 photo of Maori doing the Haka, of the four men facing the camera, only the one closest the camera survived the war.

I’m Maori and can confirm our soldiers are world class. My father in law is an Aussie veteran and he has always said that the Maori battalion were some of the loosest units he ever came across and the Vietcong were terrified of them.

I was born when ww2 was just ending . I grew up full of hearing of the courage and humor of Maori Battalion . We had songs that still cir circulate in my mind .....Maori soldiers were always cheerful and full of " can do " attitude ....we have Anzac day that remembers all the fallen and even in covid times people decorated their fences with portraits of our heroes

One of my favourite anecdotes about the 28th Batallion is how they loved to capture trophy weapons. They used them to fight with - not to send home. At one point in North Africa the British Army were trying to tidy the situation up, because the troops were looking more and more outlandish (from a Sandhurst point of view. ) That army included English, Scots, Welsh, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and South African separate units. The new orders stated that any non-standard weapons, kit or clothing had to be handed over to Army HQ. The story goes that there were a convoy of trucks required to remove the loot, principally weapons that the Maori batallion had collected from the Italians and Germans. One eye-witness said it included a towed German anti-tank gun!

Thank you so much Brother for doing a video on my people . NZ soldiers sailors and airmen are often forgotten.