Haane Manahi

Haane Te Rauawa Manahi, DCM (28 September 1913 – 29 March 1986) was a Māori soldier from New Zealand. He fought in the Second World War. People wanted him to have the Victoria Cross (VC) for his work in the Tunisia campaign. He got the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), which is lower than the VC. This made other soliders ask for Manahi's work to be more known. In 2007, he was given an award of an altar cloth, a sword to celebrate his work, and a letter from Queen Elizabeth II.
Manahi was born in Ohinemutu, New Zealand. He worked in manual labour. In November 1939, he joined the Māori Battalion. In 1941, he was part of the Battle of Greece and fought in the Battle of Crete. He was wounded in the Battle of Crete. After he was better, he fought in the Western Desert and the Tunisian campaign. Some people wanted him to get a VC because of his work at Takrouna. However, he was given a DCM in April 1943.
In June 1943, he came back to New Zealand after being gone for 3 months. He did not have to come back to the Māori Battalion if he did not want to. He was given a job as an inspector of traffic in 1946. He died in a traffic collision in 1986. After he died, a committee wanted the New Zealand Government to give him an award. This did not happen because the end of the Second World War was too long ago.