Sir Charles Moihi Te Arawaka Bennett (27 July 1913 – 26 November 1998) was a New Zealand broadcaster, military leader, public servant, and high commissioner to the Federation of Malaya (1959–1963). Of

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 C ...

descent, he identified with the

Ngati Pikiao ''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea. Production ''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written an ...

and Ngati Whakaue

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, ...

Early life

Bennett was born in Rotorua, New Zealand on 27 July 1913, one of 19 children of

Frederick Augustus Bennett Frederick Augustus Bennett (15 November 1871 – 16 September 1950) was a New Zealand Anglican Suffragan Bishop who served as the first Bishop of Aotearoa from 1928 to 1950. Early life Frederick Augustus Bennett was born on 15 November 1871 ...

of Ngati Whakaue of Te Arawa, who became first Anglican Māori bishop of Aotearoa, and his second wife, Arihia Ngarangioue (Rangioue) Hemana (or Pokiha). From the age of six months to thirteen years Charles was raised by his grandparents at

Maketu Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand. Maketu is located in the Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Maketu has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow. It is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on t ...

. He won a scholarship to

Te Aute College Te Aute College (Māori: Te Kura o Te Aute) is a school in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. It opened in 1854 with twelve pupils under Samuel Williams, an Anglican missionary, and nephew and son-in-law of Bishop William Williams. It has a ...

, where he was a distinguished student, head prefect and footballer. He obtained a BA in 1936 from

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

World War II

Greece and Crete

Charles Bennett joined the 28th (Maori) Battalion at the outbreak of war in 1939. He underwent officer training at

Trentham Military Camp Trentham Military Camp is a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) facility located in Trentham, Upper Hutt, near Wellington. Originally a New Zealand Army installation, it is now run by Defence and accommodates all three services. It also hosts Jo ...

, embarking overseas in May 1940 as a second lieutenant in B Company. On Lieutenant-Colonel George Dittmer's staff he fought in Greece and

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

. He led an intelligence unit responsible for reconnaissance, speaking on the radio in Maori. In November 1941 Bennett was promoted to captain.

North Africa

By October 1942 Bennett was a major commanding B Company. Early in November his two superiors were wounded in fighting near Tel el Aqqaqir, and Bennett then commanded the Māori Battalion, being promoted lieutenant-colonel (the youngest battalion commander in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force). In March 1943 at Tebaga Gap, Tunisia, Bennett ordered a successful attack on Point 209 (Hikurangi to the Māori) which resulted in Lieutenant Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu being awarded a posthumous VC, and Bennett the DSO. In April, during the fighting at

Takrouna Takrouna ( Berber: ⵜⴰⴽⵔⵓⵏⴰ ; Arabic: تكرونة) also spelled as ''Ta Kurunna'', is a small village in the Sahel region of Tunisia. It stands on a hill at approximately 200 metres above sea level, overlooking the Gulf of Hammamet, ...

and Djebel Berda, Bennett was severely wounded by a mine and was invalided home. His recovery took three years, and left him lame.

Post-war

With Major-General Howard Kippenberger Bennett worked on the Māori Battalion's history with the War History Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs. He became an interpreter at Internal Affairs. On 10 October 1947, in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

, Bennett married Elizabeth May Richardson (née Steward). They had no children, but he regarded her two children as his own. Bennett won a

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

scholarship from the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund to read for a doctorate on the problems of cultural adjustment of the Māori people. Although the thesis was not completed, in January 1959 he became New Zealand's high commissioner to the Federation of Malaya (later Malaysia). In 1963, he was made an honorary Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...

by the Malay government. Bennett was president of the Labour Party from 1973 to 1976, and stood for Labour in the Rotorua electorate in the 1969 general election. Bennett was awarded an honorary doctorate (

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

) from the University of Canterbury in 1973. In the 1975 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

, for public services, especially to the Māori people, and in 1990 he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. He was a patron of the

Electoral Reform Coalition The Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) is a group advocating electoral reform in New Zealand. It was founded in 1986. The group has been reformed as the ''Campaign for MMP'' to fight to retain Mixed-member proportional representation at the 2011 r ...

. Bennett died in

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

on 26 November 1998. He was survived by his wife and her two children. During the

tangihanga ''Tangihanga'', or more commonly, ''tangi'', is a traditional Māori funeral rite held on a marae. While still widely practised, it is not universally observed in modern times. Each iwi (tribe/nation) differs on how they honour those who pass. '' ...

, the traditional Māori funeral rite, the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

announced that their crest will be changed from the traditional two crossed swords to a sword crossed with a

taiaha A taiaha () is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand; a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone, and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with efficient footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha a ...

, the traditional Māori weapon, in Bennett's honour.

Honours

* **

Reception of

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) (1943) * ** Honorary Commander of the

(P.M.N. (K)) – Tan Sri (1963)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Charles Moihi Te Arawaka 1913 births 1998 deaths New Zealand public servants Ngāti Pikiao people Ngāti Whakaue people New Zealand military personnel New Zealand Māori soldiers People from Rotorua New Zealand Māori public servants New Zealand Māori broadcasters New Zealand Army officers New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand Labour Party politicians High commissioners of New Zealand to Malaysia Unsuccessful candidates in the 1969 New Zealand general election New Zealand Knights Bachelor People educated at Te Aute College New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order University of Canterbury alumni People from Maketu