Rangatahi honour 28th Māori Battalion legacy through performance, fundraiser for Italy tour

A Tauranga-based group of rangatahi are using performance to keep the stories of the 28th Māori Battalion alive, while raising funds to take that history back to the battlefields where it unfolded.

The Tuatara Collective is fundraising to travel to Italy in 2027, where its members hope to perform For the Fallen - a theatre production honouring the courage, sacrifice and legacy of the 28th Māori Battalion and those who supported them through the First and Second World Wars.

Tuatara Collective is a Tauranga-based charitable trust that uses performing arts to support rangatahi wellbeing through its Rātā Initiative.

Kaiaia Tekakakura Pitua has been involved in the kaupapa for three years.

"Ko te kaupapa o ēnei nā kia tautoko i a mātau te rōpū Tuatara Collective kia wehe atu ki Itaria kia whakaatu i ngā mea o te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao mete Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao."

He said the production was created and performed by rangatahi, sharing stories inspired by those who fought during the wars.

"It's a show that we, rangatahi of Tuatara Collective, put on for the RSAs around New Zealand and show what the stories of our imagination is about those times."

Pitua said remembering those who served was important because their sacrifices made life possible for future generations.

"I think we should honour them because they're the reason us rangatahi are still around these days and they're the reason that we still stand."

Pitua had two tūpuna who served during the Second World War, including one who fought with the 28th Māori Battalion.

"I have a koro from Te Arawa who was a part of the 28th Māori Battalion and I also have a koro who helped in WW2," he said.

"I feel like I honour them every time we get up on that stage and perform."

Alongside the performances, participants take part in a six-day wānanga exploring the history behind the production while learning performing arts, whakawhanaungatanga and Māori approaches to wellbeing.

Beyond commemorating history, he said the kaupapa had given young people an opportunity to grow through the performing arts.

"I have a strong passion for performing arts and acting. To me, it's about giving kids and rangatahi the chance to get out into the world and do something positive."

Through wartime songs, haka, dance, letters from the front, personal accounts from veterans and poetry by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, the production tells the stories of the Māori Battalion, the whānau who waited for them, and those who never returned.

Pitua said he cannot wait to hopefully take these stories to Italy in 2027.