Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi
Engari he toa takitini
My strength is not as an individual
but as a collective
Ko Kahuranaki tōku maunga
Ko Ngaruroro tōku awa
Ko Takitimu tōku waka
Ko Ngāti Kahungunu tōku iwi
Ko Ngāti Hinemanu tōku hapū
Ko Sarah taku whaea
Ko Allan taku matua
Ko Maddy rāua ko Eloise aku tuāhine
Ko Colton taku teina
Ko Jake taku ingoa
Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa
This is the story of my great-grandfather, Matiu Love.
Boom, snap, crack. The days are rough; finding food is tough. My wounds are sore and the enemies are rotten to the core. I don’t know how long this is going to go on for. I think I’m about to faint and hit the floor.
Matiu Love was a tuahangata, a man of whatumoana and a valued member of the 28th Māori Battalion. The Māori Battalion was formed when Māori members of Parliament placed pressure on the government at the time. This was an opportunity for Māori to prove themselves, to raise their profile and serve alongside Pākehā.
Matiu Love was 17 years old — underage by a year — when he enlisted with the New Zealand Army. That is only four years older than me. He was drafted to do his training at Trentham camp, joining the 28th Māori Battalion D company made up of men from across much of New Zealand. Once he had completed his training, he was sent to Australia by ship.
Matiu had been brought up by his maternal grandparents who were unaware that he had enlisted. Once he arrived in Australia, he phoned them to tell them he was already on his way to fight for his country in World War II. He was despatched to the deserts of Egypt then moved to Italy.
After six long years, the war finally came to an end. Matiu and a few mates from D company had been permitted to go to Britain. They travelled through Italy to Monte Carlo, then Marseille, through the center of France and on to Britain. When they got there, some of them gave out food parcels to the public in Piccadilly Circus. They were gifts from the New Zealand Prime Minister at the time, Peter Fraser.
To help me to better understand Matiu, I sat down with my kuia and asked her what she knew about her father and his war experience. This is what she shared with me.
When Matiu arrived home, most of the money he had earned during the war was given to his beloved grandmother. He returned to Hawkes Bay to work and hang out with his battalion mates from Omahu and surrounding hapū.
One thing he always said was that he had seen the most horrific things — things no young man or woman should ever see. War was a frightening experience for him and he didn’t think he would have survived without the comradeship of his army mates. Those close friendships lasted until he passed.
Māori men suffered a huge loss of life yet the battalion got no psychological support for the trauma and scars left from war. Māori veterans received very little financial support and were not included in the farm ballot scheme.
This hugely impacted the ability of Matiu and his friends to move forward and get on with their lives. Fortunately, the freezing works provided employment for most of the men.
Alcohol was a source of comfort — it deadened the psychological harm and disappointment from World War II. Eventually the men were recognised by the Returned and Services Association and given war pensions as well as funding for health issues caused by their war experiences. This funding came many years after Pākehā returned servicemen received it. Unfortunately, Māori were not treated the same as other veterans. My kuia said her dad got on with his life and did very well but the scars were very deep.
Matiu Love was a tuahangata, a man of whatumoana and a valued member of the 28th Māori Battalion.
E kore rātou e kaumātuatia
Pēnei i a tātou kua mahue nei
E kore hoki rātou e ngoikore
Ahakoa pēhea i ngā āhuatanga o te wā
I te hekenga atu o te rā
Tae noa ki te aranga mai i te ata
Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou
Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou
They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them
Nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi
Engari he toa takitini
