At the outbreak of WWI, Natives were not required, and could not fight in the British army; this included the allied forces. However as the numbers of men declined and the years progressed, it became clear that the war efforts required all the men the army could get. A newspaper article discussing a meeting between tribes and the government can be read here.
The native contingent committee
The Native Contingent Committee was formed, made up of the four Maori MP's at the time. These men were Maui Pomare, Apirana Ngata, Taare Parata and Taurekareka Henare. The committee had a responsibility to fill a contingent of 500 men; a number coming from each electorate.
Maui Pomare
Maui Pomare was the Member of Parliament for the Western Maori District and was chair of the Maori Regimental Committee. He struggled to convince the people of the Waikato to volunteer willingly to fight. He made a series of attempts to convince them including meetings, letters and speeches; an example of such attempts follows.
"You say conscription is against the Treaty of Waitangi. I ask you to consider Clause Three of the Treaty. What does it say? 'In consideration thereof Her Majesty the Queen of England extends to the Natives of New Zealand her Royal protection and imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects.' Now, our ancestors signed that treaty. They agreed to the Government of the Queen…What is a government for?..for the purpose of making laws?…we will have to keep the laws made by the Government that our ancestors accepted." … "It is true that Tawhiao spoke the words…regarding the banishing of war from New Zealand, but were not these words uttered by him at a peace conference with the Pakeha? Has war not been banished from these shores?"
"Put aside the petty quarrels of the family and take hold of the battles of the Nation."
His efforts were to no avail, and conscription had to be introduced to the people of Waikato for their men to be taken to Military Training Camp. Pomare references to the Treaty of Waitangi in his speech indicates he was well informed of both sides of the arguments. He acknowledges their reasons for resisting service, but puts forward another and very rational point of view of the situation. Pomare's efforts in World War One were a defining moment in his political career in New Zealand, because it developed his relationship with the Pakeha government and indicated his care for his people, which he later acted on.
"You say conscription is against the Treaty of Waitangi. I ask you to consider Clause Three of the Treaty. What does it say? 'In consideration thereof Her Majesty the Queen of England extends to the Natives of New Zealand her Royal protection and imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects.' Now, our ancestors signed that treaty. They agreed to the Government of the Queen…What is a government for?..for the purpose of making laws?…we will have to keep the laws made by the Government that our ancestors accepted." … "It is true that Tawhiao spoke the words…regarding the banishing of war from New Zealand, but were not these words uttered by him at a peace conference with the Pakeha? Has war not been banished from these shores?"
"Put aside the petty quarrels of the family and take hold of the battles of the Nation."
His efforts were to no avail, and conscription had to be introduced to the people of Waikato for their men to be taken to Military Training Camp. Pomare references to the Treaty of Waitangi in his speech indicates he was well informed of both sides of the arguments. He acknowledges their reasons for resisting service, but puts forward another and very rational point of view of the situation. Pomare's efforts in World War One were a defining moment in his political career in New Zealand, because it developed his relationship with the Pakeha government and indicated his care for his people, which he later acted on.
hon. Apirana ngata
Hon. Apirana Ngata was the Member of Parliament for the Eastern Maori District and was a member of the Maori Regimental Committee. He was very dedicated to his political work. Ngata encouraged Maori to fight in WWI because he believed in would help Maori prove themselves as equals to Pakeha. The Eastern Maori District contained his own iwi, Ngati Porou, who were known for their loyalty to the Crown. The tribe contributed more than enough troops to the war effort, and this was a testament to Ngata.
His encouragement of Maori to fight, was also balanced out at the end of the war, where he pushed for Maori veterans to receive blocks of land. He was successful. He worked in close conjunction with Maui Pomare, and together they looked into Maori land grievances after the war, earning further respect from the serviceman and their communities. Ngata later received a knighthood.
Ngata was a key figure and politician during the war, and despite his age (he was 40 and had no obligation to assist the effort) he threw himself into the war effort particularly with the issues surrounding and of relevance to his people. The respect he gained from Maori communities was as a result of his wartime endeavours to help Maori gain an equal level of regard with Pakeha.
His encouragement of Maori to fight, was also balanced out at the end of the war, where he pushed for Maori veterans to receive blocks of land. He was successful. He worked in close conjunction with Maui Pomare, and together they looked into Maori land grievances after the war, earning further respect from the serviceman and their communities. Ngata later received a knighthood.
Ngata was a key figure and politician during the war, and despite his age (he was 40 and had no obligation to assist the effort) he threw himself into the war effort particularly with the issues surrounding and of relevance to his people. The respect he gained from Maori communities was as a result of his wartime endeavours to help Maori gain an equal level of regard with Pakeha.