‘Sgt. Haane’: NZ-made WWII film trailer tells Māori soldier's legendary story

A powerful and inspiring true WWII story is hitting screens.

The trailer for the NZ-made film ‘Sgt. Haane’, honouring the extraordinary bravery of L. Sgt. Haane Manahi DCM, has just dropped.

Directed by acclaimed Kiwi filmmaker Tearepa Kahi (Muru, Poi E: The Story of Our Song, Mt. Zion), the film tells the story of Manahi of B Company, 28th Māori Battalion - a soldier who "faced the impossible" and showed his heroism in Tunisia during the war.

The story surrounds the event of April 19, 1943. Just five minutes before midnight, Haane Manahi led a small group of B Company soldiers - all cousins - up the near-vertical limestone pinnacle of Takrouna in Tunisia. The position was defended by over 300 enemy troops.

“By morning, after heavy casualties and the collapse of the chain of command, Manahi took charge - fighting through repeated counterattacks in brutal hand-to-hand combat to secure the strategic stronghold for Allied forces,” a release for the film reads.

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

The film opens in Ōhinemutu, Rotorua - B Company’s homeland - on the eve of Anzac Day 2025, before taking audiences through the events leading up to Takrouna.

The footage re-telling Haane's story blends with the real life kōrero passed down through generations.

His mokopuna portrayed in the film remember him as "a fearless warrior, a man forged by fire".

“For years, Manahi’s name has been surrounded by the controversy of his VC downgrade,” Director Kahi said. “I was even tempted for a brief moment to tell an Errol Morris-type documentary that explored the anatomy of his downgrade. But after visiting his grave, I opted for something else.”

Why explore controversy when there was an opportunity to discover what Haane Manahi actually did, as well as those who he did it alongside.

Producer Dr. Donna Morrison, Haane Manahi’s niece, said in the trialer: “That sense of pride permeates through your whakapapa, salutation's that you give your tūpuna (ancestors)."

In the release for the film, she adds: “I didn’t know too much about Uncle Haane in terms of the military, but I do remember him vividly as my swimming coach. That’s how I learnt how to survive. Not really how to swim, but how to survive.”

Leading the cast is Alex Tarrant ('NCIS: Hawaiʻi', 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power') as Haane Manahi, joined by Niwa Whatuira, Vinnie Bennett, Matuera Ngaropo, and Poroaki Merritt-McDonald, who play the cousins fighting alongside him.

Tarrant said stepping into the role came with serious responsibility.

“To play a real-life figure of this significance, particularly someone so respected within Ngāti Whakaue and the 28th Māori Battalion, has been a privilege,” he said.

It’s important that these stories are told with care and integrity - and that’s exactly what Tearepa brings to this film.

‘Sgt. Haane’ hits cinemas nationwide on April 23, 2026.