Portrait honours Māori Battalion chaplain Wi Huata

• Wiremu “Wi” Te Tau Huata, chaplain of the 28th Māori Battalion, has been honoured with a portrait by artist Matt Gauldie.
• The painting, commissioned by the New Zealand Remembrance Army, was gifted to the Huata whānau and will hang at Te Wānanga Whare Tapere O Takitimu in Hastings.
• Huata, also known for composing Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi, is celebrated for his service and cultural contributions.

The man who spiritually guided the Māori Battalion into battle during World War II and also created a beloved te reo Māori song that most Kiwis grew up singing has been honoured with a portrait by a renowned military artist.

The painting of Wiremu “Wi” Te Tau Huata by artist Matt Gauldie was commissioned by the New Zealand Remembrance Army and gifted to the Huata whānau, who helped the establishment of Te Wānanga Whare Tapere O Takitimu, a full immersion te reo school in Hastings.

The painting will hang in the reception at the school, which houses a newly built kōhanga reo (pre-school), a kura kaupapa (primary school), a wharekura (secondary school), and a wānanga (tertiary institute).

New Zealand Remembrance Army managing director Simon Strombom says he was visiting the school when he bumped into Wi’s daughter, Heke, and saw large carved pillars dedicated to Wi.

The painting of Wiremu “Wi” Te Tau Huata by artist Matt Gauldie.

“I thought ‘what they need is a Matt Gauldie painting’,” Strombom said.

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“[And] it’s probably his best work ever, it is outstanding.

“Even today Wi stands out as a great role model of what is achievable from a life of service and dedication, both for his own personal beliefs and what he did for the wider Hawke’s Bay community.”

In June 1943, Wi enlisted for service as a chaplain. On his arrival in Egypt, he joined the 28th Māori Battalion.

“Lieutenant Colonel Awatere, a commander of the battalion, and Sir Apirana Ngata both wanted Wi on the front line with the soldiers for Cassino,” said Strombom.

“He used to chant karakias as the battalion marched into battle. He would stand on a high point and recite prayers, and he buried a lot of the Māori dead.

“He was a man of faith and he didn’t say it, but he was incredibly brave as well. A real leader.”

Wi also composed the song Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi in the late 1950s, a song that is now embedded in many New Zealanders' DNA.

Strombon said Wi would sing the song on car trips with his whānau before they had a tape deck.

“He used to sing it to the kids and Heke was telling me they would sing it back to him. So they had to repeat what he said, that’s how he developed the song.”

Gauldie researched numerous records and photos of Wi to better know the person he was painting.

“At the request of his son and daughters, behind Wi, I’ve included the ‘Te Rau Aroha’ canteen/welfare truck that was gifted to the 28th Māori Battalion from the children of the ‘Native Schools’,” Gauldie said.

“Te Rau Aroha travelled everywhere with the battalion and the men loved it because it connected them to their children, home and culture. In many ways Wi Huata was like Te Rau Aroha, he travelled with them, keeping their culture and spirits fulfilled, amongst all the fear and death on the other side of the world.

“The wake this man has left behind him stretches long and wide.”