Te Kaha Marae Memorials

Te Kaha Marae Memorials

Obelisk Obelisk Marae Karipori Roll of Honour

The first Karipori (Gallipoli) Memorial Hall was built at Te Kaha marae during the 1920s to honour the 43 Te Whānau-A-Apanui men who had served during the war, 13 of whom had died.

On 9 July 1944 Governor-General Sir Cyril Newall opened Tūkākī meeting house on the marae. In 1950 another Governor-General, Sir Bernard Freyberg, visited the marae to unveil a new war memorial in front of the meeting house. This was a highly polished black granite obelisk inscribed with the names of the 13 men killed overseas during the First World War, 41 men killed overseas during the Second World War (including M. [Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa] Ngarimu, V.C.), and one man killed while serving in New Zealand.

The original Karipori memorial hall was demolished during the 1960s. On 22 March 1986 Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves opened the new Karipori Memorial Hall.

The iwi’s roll of honour, however, is not located in Karipori, but is on display in the dining hall, Te Rangiwhakapunea. This elongated wooden memorial tablet is headed:  “Rarangi ingoa o nga tamariki o roto i te takiwa o Te Whanau-A-Apanui i haere ki nga pakanga e whai ake nei.” It lists the names of four local men who served in the South African War, 43 who served in the First World War, and 101 men and one nurse (P. Saxby) who served in the Second World War.

Sources: ‘Maori Gathering’, NZ Herald, 11/7/1944, p. 6; ‘Tukaki Meetinghouse: Official Opening’, Bay of Plenty Beacon, 14/7/1944, p. 5; ‘New Hall Will Not Replace Old Memories’, Opotiki News, 13/3/1986.

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