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The whānau of 24 Māori Battalion soldiers have received their medals at a ceremony in Upper Hutt.
Colonel Trevor Walker, who has been responsible for coordinating ceremonies on behalf of the NZ Army, says while ceremonies at other locations had a clear company affiliation, Saturday’s event included whanau from all over the motu.
A policy after World War Two that former service members would have to apply for their medals, which would then be sent through the post, meant many Māori missed out on having their service acknowledged at the time,
He says after an approach from lawyer David Stone, Defence Force archivists have reviewed thousands of files to determine who had received medals and who were yet to claim.
Another ceremony will be held at Waitangi in February.
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