Some years after the Second World War, the Huramua war memorial hall was built on the site of a former agricultural rehabilitation camp on Huramua Road, outside Wairoa. Both Māori and Pakeha residents of the district assisted with fundraising and construction. On 5 April 1958 the Hon. E. Tirikatene, MP and associate-minister for Maori Affairs, formally opened the hall. The Rev. S. Rangihu then dedicated the building to the memory of the men and women of the Ngāti Tānemitirangi district who had served in both world wars and Korea. Tiaki Omana, MP, unveiled the roll of honour inside.
The roll of honour is a large wooden tablet entitled: ‘Lest We Forget / Roll of Honour / Waiau Riding’ (referring to the Waiau Riding of the former Wairoa County). It lists the names of both Māori and Pakeha servicemen from the district: eight men who were killed in action in the First World War and 13 men who were killed in action in the Second World War, along with 41 men who also served in the First World War and 96 men and two women who also served in the Second World War. At the time of unveiling it also listed the names of five men who had served in Korea; the names of one man who served in Malaya and two men who served in Vietnam have since been added.
The hall is within the grounds of Huramua Marae.
Sources: ‘Huramua Memorial Hall To Be Officially Opened on Saturday’, Wairoa Star, 2/4/1958, p. 1; ‘Huramua Hall Opened by Mr Tirikatene’, Wairoa Star, 9/4/1958, p. 1; ‘A Wave of Gatherings’, Te Ao Hou, no. 23, July 1958, pp. 9, 46-8.
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