Private Manahi was amongst those who trained at Palmerston North and at noon on 1 May 1941 went by train to Wellington to board the Aquitania for Britain.

Many felt he should have been awarded the Victoria Cross

The circumstances surrounding the action for which Private Manahi was recommended for the Victoria Cross occurred at Takrouna, Tunisia.

The New Zealand Division's intention was to attack and capture the Djebel el Froukr and Djebel el Ogla features and exploit to the north-west and north, they were to secure the end of a ridge and exploit into the hills. Fifth Brigade on the left of the New Zealand sector had for its first objective the capture of Djebel Cherachir which lay beyond Takrouna and Djebel Bir. The final objective, Djebel Froukr, lay a mile further north.

The Enfidaville-Zaghouan road ran between Cherachir and Takrouna and was the final objective for the first phase of the attack - the responsibility of 28 Battalion, on the right and 21 Battalion on the left. The 21 Battalion was to reach the road by moving around the left or western side of Takrouna. Takrouna hill itself and Djebel Bir were to be taken by the 28 Battalion. The citation above gives the details of Haane Manahi's actions. For a detailed account of the whole event refer to 28 (Maori) Battalion by J.F. Cody Chapter II.

Sergeant Manahi is regarded as one of New Zealand's most distinguished soldiers and controversy has surrounded him because he was not awarded the Victoria Cross. Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Bennett, former commanding officer of the 28 Battalion supported moves to redress this decision. Sir Charles is quoted as saying that "... a grave injustice has been done to a great soldier, and indeed to the Maori people as a whole - as grave in my view as the confiscation of Maori lands in the last century." (NZ Herald 21 January 1997)

Approaches were made to the Prime Minister in 1993, Mr Bolger, and again in 1997 to Mrs Shipley, for the award of a posthumous Victoria Cross. New Zealand First Member of Parliament John Delamere also pressed the Government to recognise the claim that the DCM be replaced by a VC. It appears that Major Denis Blundell (later Governor-General of New Zealand) recommended Lance- Sergeant Manahi for the VC and was supported by Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg, General Sir Brian Horrocks and Field Marshal Bernard Montogomery. In spite of these high commendations it is believed that officials in London decided against the award on the grounds that a second Maori could not get a VC. The first was awarded to Te Moananui-A-Kiwa Ngarimu who died on the Tunisian battlefield in March 1943. (NZ Herald 20 January 1997, 21 March 1997)

In May 1998 Mr Delamere suggested Manahi and Colonel William Malone could be amongst the first to receive the new New Zealand-based royal awards.

In 2006 Manahi’s gallantry was finally acknowledged in 2007 with the presentation, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, of an altar cloth for St Faith’s Church Ohinemutu, a letter to the family and a ceremonial sword for Te Arawa, later presented to the Chief of Defence, together symbolising the tangible link between God, Queen and Country.

He died in a car accident near Te Puke in 1986

28 (Maori) Battalion, Main Body AWMM