THE SHARK OF WAR

The life of Harding Waipuke Leaf is like an Indiana Jones tale of bravery, leadership and high jinks, writes LAWRENCE WATT, who has made a documentary about the Northland war hero.

- LAWRENCE WATT

Harding Waipuke Leaf was a fearsome fighter and charismatic leader.

Harding WaipukeLeaf's story is well known if not legendary - to the Northland Māori community and to war buffs and historians, but perhaps not so familiar to other New Zealanders.

Descending from Ngāpuhi and Te Hikutu, Leaf was a captain in Māori units in both world wars, including at the battle for Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli. He has always been remembered as a charismatic character who had an ability to make things happen, tested limits, enjoyed life and made the most of tough situations.

Making a television documentary about Leaf was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It's called Kia Mate ā Ururoa - The Shark of War, named after the battle cry he used to rally his men at Chunuk Bair: “Kia mate a ururoa, kaua heimate a tarakihi.” (It means, “Let us fight bravely to the death like the white pointer shark, not die quietly like the tarakihi.")

New Zealand military historian and former SAS soldier Dr Monty Soutar, ONZM (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa), who features in the documentary, describes Leaf as a man who "reeked of mana".

As well as Gallipoli, Leaf fought in many of the bloodiest campaigns of World War I, including the battles of the Somme and Passchendaele. He served for more than four years and was awarded the Military Cross in 1917.

At the age of 49, he signed up again for World War II and was a senior officer in the 28 Māori Battalion, serving with distinction in the battles of Greece and on Crete. "He is what Māoricall'Tini Toa' - many warriors," Soutar says.

Filming for this documentary, in places such as Whirinaki and Õpononi, on the Hokianga Harbour in Northland, was an emotional experience. I felt that such beautiful places must have been on Leaf's mind when on a foreign battlefield, surrounded by carnage and death.