An unrecorded Maori - NZ Rifle Brigade

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I am trying to confirm if the following man who served in the NZ Rifle Brigade was indeed a Maori as his surname would suggest.

12218 L/CPL BEN MAHUIKA

A bushman by trade and lived at Buller Bridge Westpoint.

Someone told me a while back that a book was published listing all Maoris who served during WW1........they did a look up for me but this man was not listed.

I confess as being no expert but I know the NZ Rifle Brigade had Maori members who were used to the guard the Suez Canal during the war. I believe there were 500 Maoris with the third "En Zed" Contingent.

Can anyone confirm my Maori suspicions?

Many Thanks,

Steve.

[the gunners dream]

Steve,

I'd say judging by the CWGC info he was a Maori

Name: MAHUIKA, MICHAEL

Initials: M

Nationality: New Zealand

Rank: Private

Regiment: New Zealand Infantry

Unit Text: 28th (Maori) Bn.

Age: 23

Date of Death: 18/08/1942

Service No: 62600

Additional information: Son of Hamana Mahuika and Hemoata Mahuika, of Tikitiki, Auckland, New Zealand.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: 2. G. 11.

Cemetery: FAYID WAR CEMETERY

Steve Smith

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Thanks for the info Steve. I guess this man was probably one of the 500.

Looks like this man was over looked in the book.

Steve.

[Captain Dave]

When the Maori Bn was raised at the start of the war, it was manned predominantly by tribes from the East Coast and loyal to the Crown. Many of the Central North Island Tribes refused to serve and conscription was never actually extended to Maori (although there were plans)

When a Maori per enlisted into the Army, he had the choice of serving with the Maori unit (which after 1916 was a Pioneer Bn) or serving with one of the provincial bns, or other arms. There was no pressure to place Maori into a Maori unit.

Your man comes from Buller Bridge, which is located in Westport. This is in the South Island which was never as heavily populated with Maori as the North (because it's colder!) Subsequently he probably felt no interest in serving with chaps he did not know and enlisted into a unit with people he did know.

The book you are refering to is Tribe of the War God by Christopher Pugsley and lists all Maori soldiers who served with the Maori (Pioneer) Bn. It also goes on to state that it was not compulsary for a Maori to serve in this Bn and many did not do so. There is also a lovely picture of a Maori soldier buying a chicken off a French Woman, and he's wearing the collar dogs of the Canterbury Regiment.

Basically your chap was not overlooked, it is indeed a Maori name, but he was not serving with the unit that the book covers.

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Dave,

Many thanks for the detailed information.

Steve.