The Recruitment of Maori Soldiers, 1914-18

The purpose of this article is not to retell the history of the Maori Contingent abroad but to examine more fully than has been done hitherto the problems involved in the recruiting of its members. It should be stressed at the outset that the story is told almost entirely as it seemed to the Defence Department. It has, obviously, another side almost inaccessible to the present author, who does not read Maori and is not competent to collect and interpret Maori oral tradition. It seems clear that papers of some Maori protagonists discussed below still exist, and in particular that Te Puea's diary would be as valuable as it is closely guarded. Full use of Maori written and oral sources would certainly add to and modify what follows, throwing more light on the motives of those who assisted or resisted the efforts of the Army.