Corporal Atelea Mapapalangi (left) and Chief Petty Officer Te Teira Maxwell at the Chunuk Bair memorial at Gallipoli. Photo / NZDF
What began as a New Zealand Defence Force commemorative deployment to Gallipoli has become a deeply personal journey for two former students of Rotorua’s Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu.
Chief Petty Officer Te Teira Maxwell (Ngāti Rangiwewehi) and Corporal Atelea Mapapalangi (Ngāti Whakaue) travelled to the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey as part of the NZDF contingent marking the 111th anniversary of Anzac Day.
For both men, the trip was far more than an official duty. It was a pilgrimage grounded in whakapapa, honouring the legacy of their tūpuna who served during World War I.
Maxwell joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in 2009 after performing for tourists with his hapū’s kapa haka group, Rangiwewehi. Overseas travel with cultural groups helped shape his decision to pursue a career combining service and exploration.
Mapapalangi, named the NZDF Aviator of the Year in 2025, followed a path inspired by whānau. His grandfather, Peter Bates, served more than 30 years in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, making the decision to enlist in 2019 an easy one.
His selection for the Gallipoli contingent carried particular significance. His great-great-grandfather, Private Hohepa Marino of B Company, New Zealand Māori Contingent, died of wounds suffered at Gallipoli on September 2, 1915.
Mapapalangi became the first member of his family to visit his ancestor’s grave, paying his respects at the military cemetery where he is buried.
“It was a privilege to stand there on behalf of our whānau,” he said in a media release from the New Zealand Defence Force.
“Hohepa was just 19 when he passed, but being able to recite his whakapapa gave me the opportunity to reconnect generations.”
At the conclusion of his kōrero, Mapapalangi and Maxwell performed the haka Tamatekapua, honouring those who fell and the legacy they left behind.
For Mapapalangi, sharing the moment with a former kura tuakana made the experience even more meaningful.
“Having a tuakana from the kura, Te Teira, by my side was incredibly special. He’s been a mentor since I started at Te Koutu at 5 years old.
“Standing shoulder to shoulder in uniform, representing our home and our country on the other side of the world, was a proud moment for us both.”
Maxwell also led the NZDF haka at Chunuk Bair, where more than 850 New Zealand troops died during World War I. He performed Ka Mate at the same site where Captain Pirimi Tahiwi led the haka 111 years earlier – believed to be the first haka performed on a European battlefield.
“To stand there and lead the haka in those places, you feel the wairua of those who came before,” he said. “You don’t stand there alone.”
The visit brought classroom learning to life. Maxwell had studied the battle of Chunuk Bair during his time at kura, and standing on the same whenua where his tūpuna once fought deepened the connection.
Both men say their kura kaupapa Māori upbringing shaped their experience, grounding the journey in tikanga and identity.
“We didn’t go there as individuals,” Maxwell said.
“We went as uri of our tūpuna – and in every moment we were there, it felt like they were with us.”