Before ww2 our country was racially torn. Māori vs Pākehā, iwi vs iwi. We were a country divided. Laws were made to keep these divisions. Public places were segregated, Māori were called niggas n portrayed as savages yet those that called us that didn't know how spiritual and

respectful our ppl were. Pākehā were land grabbing thieves yet they didn't know of the many Pākehā especially the Irish n Scottish who sympathised with Māori having gone through similar treatment. We were at boiling point.
Then hitlers rants were heard throughout the motu and the

call was made Aotearoa was going to war. While the Maori boys were excited for new adventures, others were not. The call from te urewera "let the white man fight the white man's war" was felt throughout ngā tamariki o te kohu while apirana fought for Māori to have their own

battalion "they will fight harder because they know their whānau is out there fighting to". So he called on their mana, we must show the Pākehā that we are equal. Māori excepted the challenge. Thus the 28th Maori battalion was born.
A Company Ngā Puhi aka the gumdiggers,

B Company Te Arawa aka The pennydivers
C Company Ngāti Porou aka The Cowboys
D Company Ngāti Kahungunu aka Ngāti walkabout.
Tribal grievances were put aside and for the first time in our history iwi fought alongside iwi, tūhoe fought alongside Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Porou fought

alongside Ngā Puhi and Ngā Puhi fought along side Ngāti Kahungunu. If you know the stories of our tīpuna you will know how big this was. Even Maori and Pākehā fought alongside each other. They ate, drunk, sang, played, slept, wept, mourned, bled, died n lived together. My papa

told me "they had created a peace amongst war". Because of their sacrifices, the price they paid for citizenship, today we Māori can hold our heads high. They broke barriers. For that I will forever be grateful.
Kei wareware tātou...