The Maori was built under construction number 139 at Vickers-Armstrongs in Newcastle upon Tyne and launched on November 27, 1952. After delivery to the Union Steam Ship Company in October 1953 and the transfer trip to New Zealand, the ship was put into service on November 27, 1953 between Wellington and Lyttelton .
In April 1965, the Maori was towed to the Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Company in Hong Kong to be converted into a passenger ferry. From then on, the ship was able to carry up to 90 cars in addition to 790 passengers. On November 16, 1965, the Maori was put back into service.
On March 27, 1973, the ship was decommissioned and laid up in Wellington , but used again between Wellington and Lyttelton from September to October 1973. On October 16, 1972, the Maori completed their last voyage for the Union Steam Ship Company and was subsequently offered for sale.
After two years of lay in Wellington, the ship was owned by Wiltopps Ltd. in January 1974. who were planning a commissioning between Hong Kong and Taiwan . However, this was never realized. Instead, the Maori arrived in Kaohsiung on March 6, 1974, where it was scrapped.