NZ (Māori) Pioneer Battalion returns from war

The Pioneer Battalion was one of only two NZEF formations – and the only battalion – to return from the First World War as a complete unit. Its welcome home was more extensive than that given to other troops.

Following the armistice in November 1918, the defence authorities prioritised getting men home quickly over giving them elaborate receptions. But rituals of welcome formed a central part of Māori protocol and could not be readily put aside. The opportunity for a proper welcome and the significance of the arrival of a whole unit saw both Pākehā and Māori communities make a special effort for the Pioneer Battalion.

More than 1000 men of the battalion arrived in Auckland on the Westmoreland on the evening of 5 April 1919. (Around 400 remained in France and England, mainly in hospitals.) A steamer carried a band and a concert party out into the harbour to entertain them.

Early next morning an aircraft from the Kohimarama Flying School dropped sweets, buttonholes and messages of welcome, in addition to the customary cigarettes. As the ship came in to the wharf, guns fired a salute, steamers sounded their sirens and bands played patriotic airs. Dignitaries, including Acting Prime Minister James Allen, greeted the men with brief speeches.

The battalion then marched to the Auckland Domain for a pōwhiri. Thousands lined the streets and cheered as they passed by. Representatives of iwi from throughout the country awaited them at the Domain. Along with Allen and other dignitaries, they spoke during the pōwhiri. After a break for ‘a feast of welcome’, the ceremonies continued. The afternoon was more sombre, with a tangi for the departed, the singing of karakia and a religious service conducted by the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Dr A.W. Averill.

For some this was the first of several civic receptions and pōwhiri over the next few days. More than 250 men of the East Coast section caught the steamer Mapourika to Gisborne, where their welcome rivalled that in Auckland. On arrival at the wharf on 8 April they were given a civic reception before marching through the town amid cheering crowds. They then went by train to the Gisborne racecourse, where representatives of iwi from Taupō, the Urewera, Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Wairoa, East Coast and Eastern Bay of Plenty awaited them. A ‘hui aroha’ continued at the racecourse for several days.

The West Coast (North Island) section and South Island Māori soldiers travelled by train from Auckland to Whanganui, where they received a similar welcome on 7 April. A civic reception at the railway station was followed by a procession through the city and a pōwhiri at Pūtiki pā.The 30 or so South Island men then received a smaller-scale but similar welcome at Christchurch railway station and Tuahiwi pā, near Kaiapoi. 

Around 200 returned men from Rotorua and Bay of Plenty were welcomed at Rotorua and Ōhinemutu pā.