Ko te whakahoki mai i ngā kōiwi o ngā hoia o Aotearoa i hinga i te pakanga ki Mareia te īnoi o wā rātou uri ki te whare pāremata i te rā nei. Ko te nuinga o ngā uri kare anō kia tūtaki, tētahi ki tētahi, i mua i tēnei rā. Heoi kotahi tonu tā rātou kaupapa, he tuku tono atu ki tētahi nōhanga komiti whāiti, kia āmine atu ki tā rātou tono.
Kua tekau ma rua tau a Paul Thomas e tatari ana kia rongo te whare paremata i tana tino hiahia.
E ai kit e mangai o Families of the forgotten fallen a Paul Thomas, “It's an honourable thing to do for The Government to bring their troops home. We're trained as young soldiers and young men not to leave people behind but here we are we've got 31 that have been left in Malaysia."
Ko te tuakana o Thomas te tuatahi i mate i te tau rima tekau ma ono i a ia i Marēhia. I hora nga hōia ki reira i te tau rima tekau ma rima hei mea tautoko i te kawana.
"Five brothers, two were in Korea, Adrian was killed in Malaysia, I had another brother serve in Borneo, Malaya and South Vietnam and I served in South Vietnam and was seriously wounded in South Vietnam so I think we've paid our dues for Adrian to be brought home."
Tā te rōpū hiahia kia whakahokia mai te katoa o nga hōia, tekau ma tahi o ratou he Māori, me nga tamariki tokotoru. I tēnei Hune i whakahokia atu nga hōia rua tekau ma wha ki Ahitereiria.
"This is important for my whānau because when dad died my family was ripped apart,” hei tā Angela Hayden no Ngāti Raukawa.
"With their protocols they were only allowed 20 minutes at the gravesite if they were to go from New Zealand. This is more for my mother, not so much myself but for my mother so that she can have closure,” hei tā Trish Smith no Rarotonga me Ngāti Pākehā.
E manako ana te rōpū nei ka whakarongo mai te kōmiti ki tā rātou tono, ka tae atu te karanga ki te Pirimia hoki kia whakahoki mai ō ratou whānau ki te kāinga.
