Te Rangiātaahua Kiniwē Royal (23 August 1896 – 8 July 1965) was a notable New Zealand tribal leader, land officer,

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

welfare officer, soldier, and sportsman.

Biography

Of Māori descent, Royal identified with the

Ngāti Raukawa Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi (tribe) with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupō and Manawatū/ Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa. History Early history Ngāti ...

and

Ngāti Tamaterā Ngāti Tamaterā is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Hauraki region of New Zealand, descended from Tamaterā, the second son of Marutūāhu. It is a major tribe within the Marutūāhu confederation and its leaders have been prominent in Hauraki ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

. He was born the seventh of ten children in Muhunoa, Manawatū, New Zealand, in 1896. In 1912, he became the country's first Māori scoutmaster. While living in Rotorua, Royal enlisted in 1917 and achieved the rank of lieutenant before being discharged in May 1919. He was involved in various sports and was married in August 1921. He reenlisted in 1939 and finished training with the rank of captain within the newly formed Maori battalion before seeing service in Greece, Crete, and Libya. He led several rearguard actions during the chaotic defence of Greece. During the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...

, leading two companies of the

Māori Battalion The 28th (Māori) Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion (), was a light infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. The battalion was formed following pressure on the Labour government ...

, he overran the advance of I Battalion, 141st Gebirgsjäger Regiment allowing the 5th New Zealand Brigade to escape. Once everyone was safe, he led a retreat 24 miles (39 km), with only two men to be killed, and eight wounded, all of who later recovered.Saunders 1959, p. 55. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

for service in Crete. He was wounded in Libya, earning him a bar for the MC. He later returned to help with training in NZ, and was discharged in 1944 having achieved the rank of major and worked in Maori welfare until he retired in 1956. In the

1964 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1964 to celebra ...

, Royal was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to the Māori people. He was survived by his wife, Irihapeti (Elizabeth) Te Puhi-o-Rākaiora Taiaroa (known as Puhi), "three daughters and two sons. Both sons served overseas, one in the Air Force, the other in the last reinforcement to the Maori Battalion".

Biography

References

Further reading