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Kerry Royal and Fred Kaa do a version of titi-torea. Stick games are always very popular with Asian audiences. orchid photo, penang
NEW
ZEALAND
CONCERT
PARTY IN
MALAYA
Parti Yang Tuantuan akan dengar belakan itu terdiri dari sakumpulan seldadu orang Maori dan Eropah … the party which you will hear comprises soldiers both Maori and European …” said the announcer in Malay, and the concert party of the Second Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment swung into a spirited haka before a huge audience, both seen and unseen, in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the Federation of Malaya. The soldiers who form the party are now old hands at performing before Asian audiences and thus fulfilling part of the Battalion's charter in Malaya —to create goodwill amongst the civilian population and to show them something of New Zealand culture and traditions.
Almost half of the 750-odd officers, NCOs and men of the Second Battalion are of Maori blood in some degree and it is not surprising therefore that the Maori Concert Party is a very large and active one. Comprising seventy-odd members, both Maori and European, the party has normally had to be restricted to about thirty when they travelled away from their base at Taiping.
The officer in charge of the party is a Pakeha, Capt. A. G. Armstrong of Auckland. Capt. Armstrong teaches the action and group songs and Maori games and sometimes leads the party in these items during performances as well as providing commentaries on the items in English and Malay. The other leaders are Pte B. Ohlson (Rotorua), G. Pihema (Rotorua), F. W. Toni (Tauranga) and L/Cpl. Bob Turner of Te Awamutu.
The party had its beginnings at Papakura in June 1959 when a group was formed during the early part of the Battalion's training to entertain at a company social function. It was however the wish of the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel D. J. Aitken, O.B.E., that the party be formed as an official battalion group and when the unit concentrated at Waiouru in July 1959, the Papakura element amalgamated with a similar group of enthusiasts at Waiouru and the Concert Party of the Second Battalion. New Zealand Regiment, came into being. Owing to intensive military training, little practice could be done, and the only public performance before leaving New Zealand was a few impromptu items at a Ngati Poneke farewell to Maori soldiers of the unit on their last night in New Zealand. One of the speakers at this gathering was the Hon. E. T. (now Sir Eruera) Tirakatene, who earlier this year (when he visiteo the Battalion in Malaya), was able to renew acquaintances made that night.
The voyage to Malaya took three weeks and the opportunity was taken to rehearse thoroughly a repertoire of about an hour's duration which has been used, with gradual additions, ever since. So heavy has been the operational commitment in Malaya that the Party has had little opportunity since its arrival to practice. This was foreseen and on the boat the boys practised almost daily—to the despair sometimes of anxious mothers trying to soothe young babies in the adjacent cabins. On the voyage, the party gave concerts to the predominantly Scottish crew as well as to the wives, families and men of the Battalion.
GRAND TOUR OF MALAYA
When the ship finally docked at Penang on 23 November 1959 the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Mr C. M. Bennett, was thrilled to be welcomed aboard in the traditional Maori way and the party made its debut to the people of Malaya through the medium of radio, newspaper and the Malayan film unit who sent cameramen aboard whilst the ship was still in the stream.
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The Concert Party's first trip away from Taiping was to the capital of the Federation, Kuala Lumpur, on the occasion of New Zealand's National Day, February 6, 1960. At a garden party given at Mr Bennett's home, the party performed before hundreds of guests from the diplomatic corps, Malay civic and government officials and New Zealanders in Malaya. The guest of honour was the Prime Minister of Malaya, Tungku Abdul Rahman. Whilst in Kuala Lumpur the party recorded a varied programme of Maori items which has since been broadcast in Radio Malaya's English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese programmes as well as from Radio Philippines and Radio Indonesia. New Zealand audiences also heard some of these items several months ago on the “Saturday Night at Home” programmes. Towards the end of last year, Kiwi Records released two extended play discs recorded by the party in Kuala Lumpur entitled “Maori Soldiers Abroad” and “Coming of the Maori”.
The next tour was further afield—to Singapore, and here the Party gave seven public performances in five days to schools, cultural organisations and the general public. The highlight of the visit was participation in an international night of festival of songs and dances before a distinguished audience which included the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (the Singapurian Head of State), the Prime Minister, and members of the government and diplomatic corps. When he met members of the party backstage later, the Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan You, told them that they had “stolen the show”.
Other engagements which the party has carried out include a ceremonial welcome to the Prime Minister, Mr Nash, on the occasion of his visit in June, and several performances to the wives and children of the Commonwealth Garrison at Taiping. The biggest commitment however was in connection with the Federation's end of emergency celebrations on July 31 of last year. Highlights of a packed 14 days included participation in the New Zealand Army Contingent for the victory parade and opening of the National War Memorial, a performance before 25,000 people at the Maha (the Malay equivalent of one of our Agricultural and Pastoral Shows) and a twenty-minute item in the grand outdoor victory concert at the Lake Gardens. It was estimated that 150,000 people attended during the two nights that the concert ran.
IN A LEPER HOSPITAL
Another performance took place at the large leper settlement at Sungei Buloh. Here, 2000 lepers man their own township, administering it and providing themselves with all essential services such as police and fire brigade, to mention just a few. In a large modern theatre the group staged a concert to a very appreciative audience of all ages. The commentary on the items had to be given in five languages—English, Malay, Mandarin, Hokkien and
ka mate, ka mate, ka or a ka ora Orchid Photo, Penang
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Tamil. During the interval and afterwards the boys were entertained in their turn by a very competent display of Scottish and Highland dancing by a group of Chinese patients.
For some time the group was waiting for costumes provided by the New Zealand Government. Early in July when it received notice of the end of emergency commitment, the battalion decided to buy a further set of ten and an order was placed, explaining the urgency, with Emily Schuster of Ngapuna, through the Maori Affairs Department, Rotorua. Rising magnficently to the occasion, Mrs Schuster in ten days, using forced drying methods, completed the order of 10 piupiu and twenty taniko headbands. These were rushed to Auckland, placed on an R.N.Z.A.F. aircraft along with the government-supplied piupiu and brought from Singapore by the Fijian contingent to the Victory Parade. They arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of the big concert in the Lake Gardens scheduled for that night, the 31st of July.
The last series of engagements before Te Ao Hou went to press was in late October. The concert party performed at the exclusive Eastern and Oriental Hotel on Penanga Island to raise funds for the Poppy Day Appeal. In the same week they also staged performances for the wives, families and men of the 7th Battalion, the Royal Malay Regiment, and at the Depot of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Maori items caught the imagination of the tough little hill men of Nepal in no small measure. A slight complication was the fact that a script had to be sent in advance to the Depot so that a commentary could be arranged in Gurkhal.
Since then, the men have returned to the jungle to continue their task of helping in the round-up of the remaining Communist Terrorists in North Malaya. Lt.-Colonel Aitken hopes that the party might be able to tour the Federation shortly, playing to civilian and military audiences. The men of the Battalion have found amongst the local populace a considerable interest about New Zealand in general and its race relations in particular. The Second Battalion's Concert Party will show these people of a far-off land with a different way of life from New Zealand, something of our own indigenous culture and provide also a practical demonstration of the harmonious mingling of Pakeha and Maori.
Well-wishers bid the party farewell after their performance at the High Commissioner's residence on New Zealand's National Day, February 6, 1960.
