Archives New Zealand holds a wealth of information on New Zealand's war history, especially in relation to participation in World War One and Two, and the 19th Century government records concerning Māori involvement in conflicts, both for and against the Crown.
The majority of these records can be found in the collections of the Army Department, the Māori Affairs Department and the Archives of World War One and World War Two.
Please note however, that individual personnel files, dating from the Anglo-Boer War onwards, are held by the New Zealand Defence Force.
The files of the Native Affairs Department, the Colonial Secretary's Office, the Agent for the Central Government and the Army Department contain a number of files that provide an insight into relationships between Māori and the Government during this turbulent time in New Zealand's history. Files include information on such topics as compensation claims, confiscations, Māori prisoners, "rebel natives".
Although Māori volunteered to fight the Boers, the British authorities vetoed their inclusion in the first contingent. The New Zealand authorities, however, largely ignored the British ban, and a significant number of Māori served in South Africa. They often enlisted under English names or used an Anglicised version of their Māori name.
New Zealand sent 103,000 soldiers overseas in World War One, 2227 of whom were Māori. Conscription of Māori was employed in the Waikato, where Te Puea Herangi, granddaughter of King Tawhiao, spoke out strongly against forcing Māori men to leave their farms to fight overseas.
Those who volunteered were formed into a Māori contingent, which, although initially called the Māori Battalion, became known as the Pioneer Battalion. Although technically non-combatants, this Māori contingent was the first Māori force to fight in the international arena.
The 28th (Māori) Battalion, a fighting force made up of Māori from throughout Aotearoa, became the spearhead of Māori activity in World War Two. Like the Māori contingent of World War One, the 28th (Māori) Battalion was tribally organised;
Archives New Zealand holds a number of records relating to the 28th (Māori) Battalion, including topics such as the official war history of the Māori Affairs Department and the Māori war effort.
Further information on the 28th (Māori) Battalion and the Māori contingent can be found in the archives of a number of different government agencies, including archives of the Māori Affairs Department, the External Affairs Department, the New Zealand Army and the Ministry of Defence. The records of the 28th (Māori) Battalion itself are contained in the War Archives of World War Two.