From family roots to film set: Alex Tarrant’s unexpected link to war hero Haane Manahi

For actor Alex Tarrant, playing one of New Zealand’s most respected war heroes has become more personal than he expected.

While preparing for the new film, Sgt. Haane, the Pacific-Māori actor, discovered he has a whakapapa link to Lance Sergeant Haane Manahi, the Māori Battalion soldier he portrays on screen.

Sgt. Haane is set for release nationwide this Thursday.

Sgt. Haane, directed by the international award-winning Tearepa Kahi, follows the true story of Manahi and his role in the 1943 assault on Takrouna in Tunisia during the Second World War.

Manahi was part of the 28th Māori Battalion. The attack on the limestone stronghold saw his unit face heavy enemy fire in difficult conditions with the position defended by over 300 troops.

Manahi’s bravery was later described by Lieutenant General Sir Briam Horrocks as “the most gallant feat of arms I witnessed in the course of the war”.

Speaking with Carolanne Toetu’u on Pacific Days, Tarrant said stepping into the role carries real weight.

“The idea of having to fill the shoes of someone who is so great and has achieved something in the face of danger that is so incomprehensible," he says.

Tarrant said he was still tracing the full details of his family link but added that his father grew up in Rotorua, the same region Manahi came from.

The connection became clear on set when Tarrant mentioned a family name and was told by a descendant that they were related.

“In regards to playing a man like that, it's interesting. My dad is a very introverted, quiet, [and] strong pou [pillar]of a man. So, I believe that a lot of our being comes from [that],” he says.

Tarrant stars alongside Niwa Whatuira, who plays Sergeant Johnny Rogers, a fellow soldier who fought with Manahi at Takrouna, Tunisia.

Whatuira and Tarrant first met in 2013 when they worked on the television show Totes Māori. Whatuira says that past connection helped on set.

“The dynamic of Sergeant Johnny Rogers and Sergeant Haane played well because it's sort of the dynamic that me and Alex share,” Whatuira says.

“Johnny Rogers is kind of the bigger, boisterous one and Sergeant Haane is kind of the quieter but focused one.

Watch Alex Tarrant and Niwa Whatuira’s interview below.

“We were able to form, sort of, the nucleus. We would bring in everybody else who we didn't know and by the end of it, everyone was really close.”

Following the battle in 1943, Manahi was recommended for the Victoria Cross by a senior military commander but the award was later changed to a Distinguished Conduct Medal.

The decision has remained a subject of discussion for decades.

Alex Tarrant portrays L. Sgt. Haane Manahi in the film 'Sgt. Haane'.. Photo/Supplied/PMN Composite

Although the film focuses on Manahi’s service and story and not the debate, Whatuira says there is still hope it many one day be revisited.

“One of the goals of the film… was to get the VC that he was initially awarded reinstated. Who knows if that's going to happen, but that's a good goal to have,” Whatuira says.

The filmmakers say the focus of Sgt. Haane is to bring Manahi’s story and the wider legacy of the Māori Battalion to a new generation.

The film opens in cinemas nationwide with ANZAC commemorations running across the motu in the lead-up to 30 April.

For upcoming sessions for Sgt. Haane, click here.