My uncle served with the Maoris in WW2. He said that when Crete was evacuated, not all the soldiers were able to get away. He was one of the lucky ones and as the boats pulled away from the shore, the Maori boys started singing this to each other. He had tears in his eyes as he told me the story as an old man. My mother also told me the Maori women in Gisborne where she lived sang this song to farewell the troops as they left to go overseas.