Service/branch New Zealand Army Died March 6, 1976, Auckland | Name Arapeta Awatere Years of service 1928–c.1945 Rank Lieutenant colonel | |
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Commands held Maori Battalion (1944–45) Battles/wars Second World WarNorth African CampaignSecond Battle of El AlameinItalian Campaign Battles and wars North African Campaign, Second Battle of El Alamein, Italian Campaign, World War II | ||
Fight continues for war hero arapeta awatere
Arapeta Marukitepua Pitapitanuiarangi Awatere (25 April 1910 – 6 March 1976) was a New Zealand interpreter, military leader, maori welfare officer, local politician, and convicted murderer. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngati Hine (Northland), Ngati Porou and Te Whanau-a-Hinetapora iwi. He was born in Tuparoa, East Coast, on 25 April 1910. He served as a colonel in the Māori battalion during the Second World War and is father to the former MP Donna Awatere Huata.
In 1969 he stabbed to death his girlfriend's new lover, which he unsuccessfully tried to blame on diabetes induced psychosis, and was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison, where he died unexpectedly seven years later.
References
Arapeta Awatere Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA