Māpuna for Saturday 16 November 2024

Tribute to Ta Robert Gillies

Sir Robert Gillies has recently been knighted by the Governor-General Her Excellency The Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro of New Zealand. The New Zealand Defence mark the event with a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of the 28th Maori Battalion. Sir Robert Gillies, taken at Defence House, Wellington. Sir Robert (Bom) Gillies in 2022 when he was knighted. Photo / Supplied RGP 09Nov24 - BTG 09Nov24 - Photo: NZ Defence Force

At the grand old age of 99, Ta Robert "Bom" Gillies passed was laid to rest on Tuesday  in Rotorua. He was the last of the more than three-thousand-five-hundred men who served in the battalion of whom hundreds were killed and many more were wounded.

The 28th Maori Battalion returned to Aotearoa in January 1946 where they were welcomed home in Poneke, Wellington.

Just before they dispersed their commander, Lieutenant-Colonel James Hēnare, said these words: "Go back to our mountains, go back to our people, go back to our marae. But this is my last command to you all - stand as Māori, stand as Māori, stand as Māori."

And stand we did, as this week thousands of people from across the motu attended the tangi of Ta Bom Gillies. Among them was New Zealand Army Major Tony Brooking who's two grandfathers served in the 28th Māori Battalion 

Maori-Tonga Irish comedian Opeti Vaka takes his own brand of humour on the road

In 2018 Opeti Vaka decided to try his hand at the RAW comedy quest and now he's travelling the motu taking his own brand of comedy on the road. He says his Maori, Tongan and Irish heritage provides some of the inspiration for his stand-up routines.