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In May 1919, a 'Hui Aroha' was held in Gisborne for East Coast members of the New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion returning from World War I.
Ethnologists Elsdon Best, James McDonald and Johannes Andersen attended the hui to record aspects of Maori culture for the Dominion Museum. This photograph, which shows the soldiers, their families and supporters sharing a meal at the Gisborne Racecourse (where the Hui Aroha was held), was taken by McDonald.