Māori and the war - NZ in the South African War

Wiremu Pere

The Māori response to the outbreak of the South African War in 1899 was generally one of support. Although there was a willingness among Māori to enlist in the New Zealand contingents, they were officially excluded from service in South Africa. Despite this, a number of Māori managed to join up and actively participated in the war.  

During the initial stages of preparation New Zealand Premier Richard Seddon proposed to the Imperial Office that at least 100 Māori soldiers should be included in the First Contingent. The Māori Member of Parliament Wiremu Pere even volunteered to lead a Māori contingent of over 500 soldiers.

Seddon’s proposal and offers made by Māori leaders were declined as the British government believed that native troops should not be deployed in a ‘white man’s war’. This view was reinforced by other elements of society, with the Evening Post stating: ‘if the white races of the world are to employ yellow and black troops in their wars with one another, the end of European civilization would be within measurable distance.’

Seddon continued to push for Māori participation, claiming in March 1900 that there were Māori chiefs who had men ready who were ‘as good as any Boers who ever pulled a trigger.’ Seddon also reminded the Colonial Office that under the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi Māori were equal citizens of New Zealand and therefore had the right to participate.

Joseph Chamberlain, the British Colonial Secretary, also appeared to have some reservations about a policy which denied Māori the right to participate in the war. He claimed that he would have been glad of Māori service and wrote: ‘I am really sorry not to give these Maoris a chance. If they had sent them without asking and mixed them up with others no one would have known the difference.’

Walter Callaway

Although permission to form a Māori contingent was continually declined, there were cases where the New Zealand authorities chose to overlook these restrictions. Many Māori simply enlisted under English names. Those who managed to enlist were generally ‘half-castes,’ as those of mixed race were then generally known. Many were well-educated and fluent in spoken and written English.

Since they were not officially allowed to serve in the war many Māori expressed their support through fundraising. In keeping with the ‘khaki corps’ formed by society ladies, the women of Ngāpuhi in Whāngārei formed their own group of volunteers. Dressed in the mock khaki uniforms, they not only involved themselves in fundraising but also looked after members of the community who were ill.

But not all Māori were supportive of the war. The Governor, Lord Ranfurly, suggested that some Māori in Hokianga had pro-Boer sympathies, although he attributed these to the influence of pro-Boer Dutch and German priests in the area rather than disloyalty to the British Empire.