In 1917 Parekura Tureia of Ngāti Porou travelled as part of the 28th reinforcements for the Māori (Pioneer) Battalion in France. Before returning to New Zealand, he toured with the New Zealand Inter-services team which won the King's Cup. However, Tureia and Nathaniel 'Ranji' Wilson, a New Zealander with West Indian heritage, were excluded from the team that visited South Africa in 1919, at the request of the South Africans. Two years later, Tureia captained the New Zealand Māori team against the South Africans in Napier, a match followed by controversy over an intercepted telegram from a South African journalist criticising white New Zealanders' support for the Māori. Tureia went on to fight in the Second World War, reaching the rank of captain in 28 (Māori) Battalion. He was killed in action in North Africa on 23 November 1941, aged 44.