Story: Ngā pakanga ki tāwāhi – Māori and overseas wars

Māori gun crew in Korea, 1953

Māori gun crew in Korea, 1953

This Māori gun crew from 162nd Battery of the 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, were stationed in Korea in 1953. From the left are Gunners P. Te Kani (Tauranga,) W. Martin (Whakatāne), J. J. Hudson (Whakatāne), B. Manga (Gisborne) and Lance Bombardier J. T. Popata (Kaitāia). Hostilities in the Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953. Kayforce, the New Zealand contingent in Korea, did not contain formal separate Māori units. However, Māori often informally organised themselves into gun crews or other small units. Initially Māori made up 7.5% of Kayforce, but about one in four of the later reinforcements were Māori.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, War History Collection (DA-01514)
Reference: K-2007-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Monty Soutar, 'Ngā pakanga ki tāwāhi – Māori and overseas wars - Overseas service after 1945', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/36700/maori-gun-crew-in-korea-1953 (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Monty Soutar, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 May 2016