You Should Answer ALL Parts of the Question in This Booklet

Level 1 History
91006 (1.6): Describe how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society

Credits: Four

You should answer ALL parts of the question in this booklet.

If you need more space for any answer, use the page(s) provided at the back of this booklet.

Check that this booklet has pages 2–9 in the correct order and that none of these pages is blank.

YOU MUST HAND THIS BOOKLET TO YOUR TEACHER AT THE END OF THE ALLOTTED TIME.

For Assessor’s
use only / Achievement Criteria
Achievement / Achievement
with Merit / Achievement
with Excellence
Describe how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society. / Describe in-depth how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society. / Comprehensively describe how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society.
Overall Level of Performance

History 91006 (1.6)

Sample assessment answer NCEA level 1: History 91006 (1.6)

You are advised to spend 60 minutes answering the questions in this booklet.

Throughout our history there have been significant historical events.These events have affected New Zealand society in different ways. New Zealand society in this context could include individuals, groups, communities, or even all New Zealanders.

Choose ONE significant historical event you have studied this year. You may select an event listed in the box below OR another event of your own choice.

Land March
Springbok Tour
Passchendaele
1935 Election
1953 Waterfront Strike
Bombing of theRainbow Warrior
Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840
1913 Waihi Strike
Women getting the vote in 1893.

Use your chosen historical event to completethe taskson the following pages.

Identify the significant historical event you have chosen in the space below.

Event: World War Two
People / group involved in the historical event / How the events affected these people/this group
1. Soldiers of the Māori Battalion who served in World War Two / - WW2 prompted many Māori men to sign up (ie: to go on an adventure, prove themselves as NZers)
- Many soldiers became casualties during the war
- Māori Battalion gained huge respect for their fighting qualities from comrades and the enemy
- Returning soldiers were often disillusioned by their experience and their reception at home
2. Women and others who were left behind in New Zealand while their men were fighting overseas / - Women worked on the home front: preparing food, moving to cities to work in factories, knitted balaclavas, socks etc
- Māori War Effort Organisation was established nationwide
- Women and families grieved for killed or wounded soldiers

History 91006 (1.6)

question

(a)Describe what happened in the historical event that you have chosen.

World War Two broke out in 1939 as a result of the German invasion of Poland. Britain declared war on Germany, and New Zealand followed immediately with its own declaration of war. New Zealand, just as we did in World War One, had close ties to Britain and decided “where she goes, we go”. Māori communities responded with as much vigour as the rest of New Zealand. In particular Māori from the East Coast of the North Island signed up enthusiastically. Other Māori tribes, such as those in the Waikato region, were more reluctant to sacrifice their men with memories of the New Zealand wars and land confiscation still strong.

Despite the reservations of the New Zealand Government, Churchill and the British decided to ask the New Zealand contingent to fight in Europe. This worried New Zealand as her perceived threat was more likely to be Japan because of its geographical location. The fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942 only heightened those fears. The New Zealand 2nd Expeditionary Force (NZEF)set sail for Egypt in order to stop the German advance into the Mediterranean. Amongst them was the 28th Māori Battalion who for the first time were operating as a distinctly Māori unit, divided into four companies based along tribal and geographical lines.

The New Zealand forces fought first in Greece and then Crete. Both these engagements were a disaster for the poorly equipped and sometimes poorly led New Zealanders. Along with other allied soldiers they were evacuated again to Egypt. The NZEF then fought in North Africa, eventually pushing Rommel’s German forces out via famous battles such as El Alamein. The New Zealanders and other allied forces crossed into Italy and encountered stubborn resistance, losing many lives at the difficult battle of Monte Cassino. The Māori Battalion was in the thick of all these campaigns, and distinguished themselves in battle. In particular the Māori Battalion was involved in heavy fighting at El Alamein, Takrouna and Cassino. Moana-nui-a KiwaNgarimu was awarded the Victoria Cross for leading an attack on Point 209, at Tebaga Gap in Tunisia, destroying German machine-gun posts and stopping a fierce counter-attack. By the time the New Zealand forces reached Trieste in northern Italy the war was all but over. The German forces had eventually been defeated in northern Europe by Stalin’s Red Army in the East and principally by the British and American forces in the West. By the time the allies and the Russians had reached Berlin in 1945, 50 million people are estimated to have died. 140,000 New Zealanders served overseas with approximately 12,000 fatalities. The Māori Battalion returned home having forged a reputation as brave and formidable soldiers. However, they also suffered greatly with a casualty rate of 50%, higher than any other battalion. Maori felt they had also gained a new respect amongst Pakeha New Zealanders as a result of their sacrifices in the war.

History 91006 (1.6)

(b)Describe how the TWO different people OR groups in society that you identified earlier were affected by the historical event you have chosen.

Person / group 1: The Māori Battalion

From training through to combat the Māori Battalion were affected by World War Two. A strong sense of comradeship developed within the companies of the battalion. Māori also drew upon their “warrior tradition” and used haka, waiata and traditional fighting practices to strengthen their contribution to the fighting force. For example, the hakaperuperu “Ka Eke i te Wīwī” was historically used before battle.

Māori fought with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in the Mediterranean, North Africa and Italy. They were affected badly by the war and suffered a 50% casualty rate, which was higher than other battalions in the NZEF. Many Māori soldiers were affected by the experience of war, both in battle and afterwards. Many returned with wounds, both psychological and physical. Others commented on the positive outcome of serving alongside Pākehā soldiers as equals in World War Two. Sir ApiranaNgata stated that, as a result of the war, “the future of our race as a component and respected part of the New Zealand people will be less precarious”.

Person / group 2: Women at the home front

Women at home in New Zealand were affected by the participation of New Zealanders in World War Two. Apart from being left to grieve for their loved ones who may have been killed or wounded overseas, women often had to fill the gap left behind by men in essential industries such as factory work and farming. Māori women in particular worked hard to provide food for soldiers. This included seafood and pork, which was either dried or preserved in fat for the long journey to Europe. Many women moved to the cities to work in essential industries, which in turn started the process of post-war Māori urbanisation. Princess Te Puea is an example of a Māori leader who was said to have raised at least £30,000 for the war effort.

History 91006 (1.6)

(c)Explain why your chosen historical event was of significance to New Zealanders.

In your answer, you could discuss aspects such as:

the importance of the event to people alive at the time
how deeply people’s lives were affected at the time
the extent to which the event continues to affect New Zealand society

The event of World War Two was also important for New Zealanders as it affected every aspect of people’s lives – from the soldiers serving overseas to the home front where women worked in essential industries. Men formed territorial divisions and schools continued to emphasise commitment to the British Empire.

To New Zealanders alive at the time, World War Two was very significant. As soon as the call to arms was made, Māori men from all over New Zealand signed up to go on an “adventure”. For some it was a genuine desire to honour the citizenship rights bestowed on them by the Treaty of Waitangi. For many it was an opportunity to escape the generally poor, rural lifestyle they had grown up with at home. For Māori leaders such as Sir ApiranaNgata, the importance of the Māori war effort could not be understated. He described it as the “price of citizenship”.

People’s lives were affected deeply at the time. In particular, stories of casualties of both wounded and killed affected small and large communities. For the Māori Battalion whānau would have been deeply affected due to the nature of close, extended family ties. Many Māori communities lamented the loss of leadership created by the sacrifice of its young men in the war.

World War Two, and the Māori Battalion’s contribution to it, continues to affect New Zealand society today. Almost every town in New Zealand has a war memorial dedicated to soldiers who lost their lives. In the Māori world the deeds of the 28th Māori Battalion are remembered through carvings, song and oral tradition. For example,UenukuFairhall wrote the haka “Haane” to celebrate the achievements of HaaneManahi and, in a broader sense, the achievements of B Company.

History 91006 (1.6)