Kiwi reportedly killed in Ukraine, the rugby world reacts to Scott Robertson’s appointment and negotiations after teachers strike in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald
A mission is coming together to retrieve the body of Kane Te Tai from Ukraine through a veteran’s wellbeing charity he was instrumental is setting up.
Aaron Wood from the No Duff group had spoken to Te Tai’s mum Ngaire and been given whānau blessing to recover the former NZ Defence Force soldier.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said it was aware of reports a New Zealander was killed but had yet to confirm the identity of the person.
Friends of Te Tai, 38, became concerned after he went quiet on social media then those connected with others involved in the Ukraine conflict were told he had been killed during combat with Russian soldiers.
Wood said there was contact with a person involved in recovering casualties from the battlefield who reported the body of the person believed to be Te Tai was about an hour north of where the firefight had taken place.
From there, the Ukrainian process would see the body transported to Kiev where an autopsy would take place.
Wood said the plan to repatriate Te Tai was at its early stages but involved getting potentially three people to Poland’s border with Ukraine where his body would be recovered.
He had told Ngaire Te Tai: “It’s all about getting him back to you.”
Te Tai was a co-founder of the No Duff charity which takes its name from military jargon meaning “this is not a drill”. It provided support for NZDF veterans, including those suffering mental health issues in the wake of their service.
With Te Tai’s reported death, No Duff’s Give-A-Little page had been turned to raising funds for the recovery operation. Wood said donors were asked to tag their donation with the word “Turtle” - Te Tai’s callsign in Ukraine.
He said any additional funds would go to Te Tai’s daughter, aged 12. No Duff wasn’t relying only on the online fundraiser but was talking to other organisations about contributing to the repatriation mission.
Kane Te Tai (right) pictured with Kiwi fighter Dominic Abelen, who was killed in Ukraine in August last year. Photo / Supplied
Wood had shared with the Herald the last message he had received from Te Tai in response to the question as to whether he planned to take a break from the fighting.
The message Wood received in response arrived on Sunday and read: “Nah bro, that’s enough war for me.
“I love this place, it’s like a playground where I get to do anything I want. But that’s the problem, isn’t it?
“So before the game gets me or before I just decide life here is too easy, maybe it’s time to start living my real life.
“This place is pure escapism. We are all trying to run from something. Mine is from having a real life, but the time is near. Gotta put away the toys and start to build while I can.”
Wood passed on Te Tai’s message as an example of the myriad of post-service issues with which veterans contend, knowing doing so would have his mate’s support.
“He knew he was f***ed up. He knew he was missing something and he went over there to find it.”
Ngaire Te Tai had told the Herald she was holding out hope that her son was alive but unable to make contact.
“I’m hoping it is not true. I have that hope. He didn’t prepare me for how this might turn out,” she said.
Ngaire Te Tai said Kane had signed up for the NZ Army “straight out of school”, with parents at his side through the preliminary recruiting process. “He told his father and I - not the other way around. I hoped it would have worn off - but it didn’t.”
In his years of service, her son had served in Afghanistan and elsewhere on peacekeeping duties.
“He came back a different person. He was there before the age of 21. He saw some things, I guess, and my son was a changed person.”
Ngaire Te Tai said military-style toys were a feature in Kane’s childhood but when it came to joining the military - and the journey to Ukraine - “it wasn’t about the war itself, it was about wanting to be of use”.
“People serve the church, people serve the community. That was his community. He loved whānau. He loved people. And he loved to help the underdog. My son was a good man ... he is a good man. I’m 99 per cent sure he has passed but I have hope.”
