Yesterday was US Memorial Day and it also marked 80 years since 45,000 US troops moved to Aotearoa before they left for World War II, fighting through the Pacific to Japan. They have several thousand descendants in this country.
The troops made a series of assaults on the Japanese-occupied Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal) 3,500 km north of New Zealand, with the survivors returning after each battle to rest, recover, and be reinforced by reserves from the US, and then departing for the then-called Gilbert Islands (Tarawa) 4,200 km to the north. More than 3000 of those who embarked from New Zealand were killed in those battles, and thousands more were killed in later battles further north.
The US embassy commemorated the day for the 74th time yesterday at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
The annual event was originally initiated by veterans who settled in New Zealand and married local women. The embassy has continued the tradition since the last veterans died.
Other events to mark the day are also being held around the country.
Kiwi Weka
The end of the ceremony saw a performance by Māori pop singer Theia of the well-known waiata, Kiwi Weka, which was made famous by her great grandmother Mite Te Aho Kukutai Karaka. It's about the relationship between New Zealand women and the US troops.
US Embassy cultural co-ordinator Louisa Te'i (Ngāpuhui, Te Rarawa, Hāmoa), who is organising this week’s commemorations, says the troops left a lasting impact on the landscape as well as on the hearts and minds of the people.
Te'i says she had heard the waiata many times before but it wasn’t until she watched Whakaata Māori on Anzac Day when Theia talked about her family connection and then sang the waiata that she understood the significance of the song.
She says the love song likens the troops to the north migrating bird, the Kuaka (godwit) which travels down from North America to New Zealand for a short stay before migrating back.
Te'i says she wanted to add some youth and vitality to the formal ceremony and the song was a mihi to the servicemen and their whānau. "I thought ‘I have to get her to perform this at this ceremony’ and, thankfully, she agreed.”
She says it was a great success and several military people asked for Theia’s phone number so she could sing it at their ceremonies.