Museum honours efforts of M¯aori armed forces
One of the two remaining members of the 28th Ma¯ ori battalion, Robert Gillies, took a moment when entering one of the last rooms of a new museum opened yesterday to survey the walls, covered edge-to-edge in the faces of his former comrades from the Ma¯ ori battalion.
Te Rau Aroha, located at the Waitangi treaty grounds, is filled with the stories of the New Zealand wars, the Boer War and focuses on both the Pioneer Battalion of WWI and the Ma¯ ori Battalion. It also showcases stories of those who supported the war effort from back home, such as Ma¯ ori schoolchildren fundraising to buy a mobile canteen as a token of love for the Ma¯ ori Battalion who were far from home.
Hundreds of people attended the opening today of the museum which aims to honour Ma¯ori armed forces. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said, quoting Sir Apriana Ngata, ‘‘participation in the war by Ma¯ ori was the price of citizenship. That price has been well and truly paid, and the incredible stories of the men of the Ma¯ ori Battalion are told here’’.
The museum was funded by the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, with $14.6 million.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was at Te Rau Aroha that New Zealanders could acknowledge the sacrifice made by Ma¯ori and their hope for a equitable future.
Officials were given a tour before the public was welcomed.
The name, Te Rau Aroha, is a term of respect given to those whose actions embody courage and service to their fellow citizens, according to Jones.