A war memorial flagstaff carved by Kaka Niao was unveiled at Pukehina Native School on 1 November 1946. The bronze plaque at the foot of the flagstaff is inscribed:
‘He tohu whakamahara / mo / nga hoia o tenei takewa / I hingaki te pakanga / I nga tau / 1939-1945 / Erected to the memory / of / servicemen from this district / who made the supreme sacrifice / in World War II / 1939-1945’.
It lists eight names: M. Ngawhika, V. Voisin, H. Te Kuru, I. Clark, P. O’Callaghan, R. Gooding, W. Whareiatu, K. Hona, and F. Evans. The memorial was restored in 1996.
See: Te Puke: Nga Tangata Me Nga Wahi, People and Places, ed. Christine Clement, Lynne Robertson, Maree Lewis, Te Puke, 2007, p. 261; Pukehina School website.
Community contributions