A family and Te Arawa taonga has been handed over to the new chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating.
A pohiri was held for a military contingent at Te Papaiouru Marae, Ohinemutu, yesterday to receive the Haane Manahi Sword of Valour, which was presented to the family of Haane Manahi, DCM, by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his bravery in the battle of Tarouna, Tunisia, in World War II.
The handing-over ceremony is part of a new tradition in Rotorua in which the chief of the New Zealand Defence Force is given the sword while in office. It had been returned to the family in January when former chief Lieutenant General Rhys Jones ended his three-year term.
Lieutenant General Keating started his speech in te reo Maori, greeting the whanau, marae and iwi before addressing the significance of Haane Manahi's service and the handover ceremony. "A lot of people say, and I'm one of them, that Haane Manahi should have got a Victoria Cross." But he said there was significance in the gift by the Queen to Ngati Whakaue and Te Arawa that was profound in its own way and profound in army leadership..