Haane Manahi - The Manahi VC Committee

The Manahi VC Committee

The lack of official recognition for Manahi's bravery during the Battle of Takrouna still rankled with many members of the Māori Battalion but while he was alive, Manahi's modesty and unwillingness to bring any attention to himself meant that he was not interested in changing the situation. Following his death, the Manahi VC Committee was established by his former comrades and iwi to rectify the downgrading of his VC to a DCM.

The committee proceeded to lobby the New Zealand government to make representations to Buckingham Palace regarding the posthumous grant of the VC to Manahi. The Queen's father, King George VI, had ruled in 1949 that no further awards from the Second World War ought to be made. However, the government was reluctant to make a formal approach and it was not until 1997, when the then Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, formally broached the subject with Buckingham Palace. The feedback indicated the elapsed time since the events of Takrouna was likely to be a barrier to the reinstatement of Manahi's VC.

Finally, in 2000, Manahi's iwi, Te Arawa, lodged a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal, and was supported in doing so by the New Zealand RSA. Te Arawa alleged the failure of the New Zealand government to give full consideration of the award of a VC to Manahi constituted a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi, which required the government to act in good faith regarding grievances of Maori. In December 2005 the tribunal reported that there was no breach of the treaty. While not making any formal conclusions or recommendations, the tribunal suggested that the Manahi VC Committee work with the New Zealand government in making an approach to Buckingham Palace. In October 2006, after further dialogue with Buckingham Palace, the New Zealand Minister of Defence, Phil Goff, announced that Manahi would be recognised by the presentation of an altar cloth, a personal letter from the Queen acknowledging his gallantry and a sword. The award was presented by Prince Andrew to Manahi's sons, Rauawa and Geoffrey, at a ceremony in Rotorua on 17 March 2007. The sword was later presented to the Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, along with a patu (war club) in memory of Haane Manahi.