This poem ‘Absent Friends,’ introduced in the traditional Maori fashion, is by Col. Awatere, one-time commander of the Maori Battalion and now District Maori Welfare Officer in Auckland. This is the first Maori contribution printed, at the author's request, with the double vowel. TE HOKOWHITUAATUU MATAUENGA ma ARAPETA AWATERE Nau mai e ngaa kupukoorero raarunga o Rotoruanuiaakahumatamomoe, whanatu ki Te Whanganuiaatara, te upoko o Te Ikaroaaamaauitikitikiaataranga. Whanatu ki Te Ao Hou ka mea atu: Ee koe e te koopara korokii o te atahaapara, karerekawekupu o te rautau hou, haria ngaa mihi ki ngaa Iwi, ki ngaa mana, ki ngaa reo, ki ngaa maatua, ki ngaa whaea, ki ngaa tamariki, ki te ariki Mokopuna hoki e noho iho raa i te ahurewa o oona tiipuna. Tangihia atu ngaa mate haere ki Te Po haere ki Te Po haere ki Te Po, mihia atu te hungaora teenaa koutou teenaa koutou teenaa koutou. No muri o te Pakanga Tuarua, he tau e huia ana te 25 o Aperira hei raa whakamaharatanga ki te hunga kua tiiraha ki te maaraaatuumatauenga i Te Pakanga Tuatahi i Te Pakanga Tuarua. Ko taua raa raatou koopakina ai ki te kupukoorero e maumaharatia ai to raatou parekuratanga hei taongaaawairua ki ngaa whakatipuranga. No Maehe 1943 ka kookiritia e Te Roopuu Maaori te hoariri I Tepaaka, waahi o Maareta Raaina, i Awherika. I reira ka pakangatia e Te Tairaawhiti te hoariri i te waahi e karangatia nei ko Maunga 209. I reira kaa hinga a Te Moananuiaakiwa Ngaarimu kaa riro Te Wikitooria i a ia. Ko ngaa koorero o teenaa kookiri kua papatautia kei ngaa tuhituhinga aa ngaa puukoorero. I taua kookiri he tokomaha i tae taotu ki te Hoohipera. I te Hoohipera kaa rongo maatou kua hinga a Te Moananuiaakiwa me oona hoa whanaunga. I konaa ka kuatau ake te ngaakau he aha te hua o te hinga ki a Tuumatauenga? I Mei 1953 ka tino hinga rawa te hoariri i Tuuniihia ka tino mutu rawa te riri i Awherika. Ka hoki iho Te Roopuu Maaori ki te Puni i Maatii, waahi o Iihipa, e hia rau maaero te tawhiti. Ka hoki iho maa ngaa waahi i pakanga ai i ngaa tau o mua atu. He kitenga iho, kaa hoki ngaa mahara ki ngaa raa o te pipiritanga: i moe tahi ai, i takatuu tahi ai, i kai tahi ai, i ngahau tahi ai, i hiikoi tahi ai i te mura o te ahi, i hinga ai ngaa hoa i hinga, i honea ai te hunga kua moorehu. He riipeka te tohuwhakaatu o te waahi i nehua ai, ko te ingoa ko te raa i hinga ai e mau ana i reira: aanoo toona rite kei te Riipeka o Kawari i whakairia ai te Tama aa te tangata! Kua tawhiti haere eeraa rangi ki muri. I eenei rangi ko taatou kei te ripatauaarai e tuu ana e whakaangaanga ana: taa te whakaheketoto ko te toataua; taa te toataua ko te rongomau; taa te rongomau ko te aha? Aanoo ko Puanga e koorekoreko mutungakore ana ki te kikorangi waihoki ko taatou kia maumahara mutungakore ki ngaa hoa kei ngaa korahatiitoohea e koomiria ana e ngaa hau o Te Uru!

NGAA HOA KEI TE NGARO Ngaa maunga o Kirihi ngaa manga o Kiriti I whetukituki ai ngaa puurepo e! Ko te wero ko te patu ko te haka ko te ngeri I haruru i wawaro i te ao i te po. Ngaa tuuaaone kei Riipia raa Kei Tuuniihia ngaa pakanga ki Te Uru ‘Parekura atu ai taku pookaitara; Ko te rongo ‘hau mai ko te mana ‘tuu tonu! Tiiraha kau atu he whenua Iwi-kee, Aku honotaatai no tua whakarere, Aku whakaruruhau no Te Waotuunui, Aku Tootara hoi ka tokia e te anu! Moe mai koutou ‘te moenga o te toa ‘Te maarawhakatara o te nguha o te riri, I te maru o te ihi o te wehi o te mana Kei te kapuoteringa o Tuumatauenga! Koutou tamatoa no Aotearoa! Ee ara whakakake ki te Toiongaarangi, He patungatapu rawa whakarauora ake, Kia rongo e te tini kia kite e te mano! Ko te whakaheketoto hei tohutohu ake He kotahitanga hou hei taki i te Ao Kia uu ki te pai ki te rangimarie, Kaa ea aku mate, e Te Iwi ee!