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Walter Callaway

John Walter Callaway (Wāta te Wahahuia) is credited with being the first Māori to serve in the South African War. Walter, as he was commonly known, was born in 1873 in Kikawhakerere to a Cornish father, John Callaway, and a Māori mother, Huihana Te Arawaere, of Te Ngare hapū of Ngāi Te Rangi iwi.

Raised in the Coromandel, Callaway was working as a miner when the outbreak of the war was announced. Already a member of the Coromandel Volunteer Rifles, he was selected, with three others, to join the remaining volunteers from the Auckland military district.

Walter Callaway
John Walter Callaway (Wāta te Wahahuia) is credited with being the first Māori soldier to serve in the South African War.
Maori Units of the NZEF
Over 2000 Maori served in the Native Contingent and Pionee Battalion during the First World War
Waiata for Victoria Cross winner at Ruatoria, 1943
Women perform a waiata during the hui in Ruatoria to award the Victoria Cross to Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, October 1943.
Haane Te Rauawa Manahi
Haane Manahi fought in the 28th (Maori) Battalion during the Second World War. He won the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)in Tunisia in 1943 but many thought he should have been awarded the Victoria Cross (VC).
Impact - Maori and the Second World War
The Second World War was a significant event in terms of Maori–Pakeha relations, and the reputation of the Maori Battalion was a source of great pride to the wider New Zealand community.
The home front - Maori and the Second World War
Maori were active on the Home Front, involving themselves in the huge fund-raising and production efforts that New Zealanders undertook during the 1940s.
Achievements - Maori and the Second World War
The 28th (Maori) Battalion established a formidable reputation as one of New Zealand’s finest fighting forces.
Response to war - Maori and the Second World War
Maori leaders offered men for both home defence and overseas service, and Maori requests for their own military unit followed, although not all wanted a Maori battalion.
Maori and the Second World War
Despite some opposition, nearly 16,000 Maori enlisted for service during the Second World War. By 1945 the 28th (Maori) Battalion had became one of New Zealand's most celebrated and decorated units. But Maori contributed to the war effort in many different ways, at home and overseas.
Pioneer Battalion at Messines
Members of the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion laying a road in Messines, Belgium, 1917, shortly after the advance of 7-9 June. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand Reference: 1/2-012772-G Further information and copies of this image may be obtained from the library through its Timeframes website. Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa must be obtained before any reuse of this image.
Recruitment cartoon for Māori
This work by William Blomfield, entitled 'The spirit of his fathers', appeared in the Christmas, December 1915 issue of the New Zealand Observer. It shows a Māori soldier charging two Ottoman Turk soldiers with the ghost of a Māori warrior behind him. Cartoons like this attempted to evoke the spirit of the Māori god of war, Tū-mata-uenga, to encourage Māori participation in the war.
Badges of Maori units in the First World War
Badges of the Native Contingent and New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion
Return of the Maori Pioneer Battalion, 1918
This shows the return of the Maori Pioneer Battalion to Putiki pa, Wanganui, in 1918. The Moutoa flag is in the centre. This flag was presented in 1865 by the ladies of Wanganui to lower Whanganui iwi to mark their success at Moutoa Island against Pai Marire warriors who threatened the settlement of Wanganui in 1864.
Maori Pioneer Battalion haka, 1918
New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion members perform a haka for Cabinet minister Sir Joseph Ward at Bois-de-Warnimont, 30 June 1918. The haka introduced Maori custom and practice into the New Zealand armed services, and the use of these customs and practices grew during the conflicts of the 20th century. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand Reference: 1/2-013282-G Further information and copies of this image may be obtained from the Library through its Timeframes website,
Maori Pioneers in trench, 1918
Members of the New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion take a break from trench improvement work, near Gommecourt, France, 25 July 1918. The New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, largely made up of Maori troops, carried out important labour and construction tasks on the Belgian battlefields. Major changes were made to the nature and form of Maori military service in late 1915 and early 1916. The Native Contingent that had fought at Gallipoli ceased to exist and was replaced by the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, sometimes referred to now as the Pioneer Maori Battalion.
Maori Pioneer Battalion flag
A King's Colour awarded to the New Zealand Pioneer Maori Battalion by King George V in 1919.  The King's Colour
Thomas Mackenzie and Peter Buck visit troops in France
Thomas Mackenzie, New Zealand's High Commissioner in London, visiting New Zealand troops in France during the First World War, with Peter Buck.
Native Contingent departure, 1915
Members of the Native Contingent aboard ship before their departure in February 1915.
Difficult times - the Maori War Effort Organisation
When the Maori War Effort Organisation was established, the government had estimated that it would have a six-month life at a cost of £7,000. In 1943 Paikea asked that the timeframe be extended. He reasoned that as well as being essential to meet the country's wartime needs, the MWEO had a key role in post-war Maori development.

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