National Memorials are decided upon by the New Zealand Government for those events, relationships, or persons who have had a "significant impact" on the country. There are 14 National Memorials in New Zealand and a further 8 overseas. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH) is responsible for 20 of those National Memorials. The remaining National Memorials, the Abel Tasman Monument, was transferred from MCH to the Department of Conservation in 2020 and the George Forbes National Memorial is under the responsibility of Lincoln University.
Domestic National Memorials There are 14 National Memorials located in New Zealand: NameImageLocationDescription Abel Tasman Monument Tarakohe The Abel Tasman Monument is a memorial to the first recorded contact between Europeans—led by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman—and Māori in New Zealand's Golden Bay on 18 and 19 December 1642. It was unveiled on the tercentenary of the encounter by the prime minister, several government ministers, and a Dutch delegation. The monument was designed by the architect Ernst Plischke as an abstracted sail, and consists of a large concrete monolith painted white. Located on a bluff at Tarakohe just east of Pōhara, the land for the monument was gifted by the Golden Bay Cement Company. The dignitaries opened the Abel Tasman National Park the following day and the area holding the monument is part of the national park. As was typical for the 1940s, the original inscription focused on the European experience only and overlooked the Māori perspective, demonstrating Western-centric systemic bias. Atatürk Memorial, Wellington Wellington Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial Christchurch Coates Memorial Church Matakohe Cook Monument, Thames Thames Fraser Memorial, Karori Cemetery Wellington Peter Fraser Statue Wellington Holyoake Memorial Wellington Kirk Memorial Waimate Massey Memorial Wellington Pukeahu National War Memorial Park Wellington Savage Memorial Auckland Seddon Memorial Wellington Tangiwai Memorial, Karori Cemetery Wellington The Tangiwai Memorial at Karori Cemetery was designed by Gordon Wilson in his role as government architect. The memorial was opened on 26 March 1957.George Forbes National MemorialLincoln CanterburyThe George Forbes National Memorial was opened by Governor-General Viscount Cobham on 11 August 1960. It was originally constructed as a memorial building containing the library for Lincoln College (now Lincoln University).
International National Memorials Most of the National Memorials outside of New Zealand are war memorials: NameImageLocationDescription New Zealand battlefield memorial and New Zealand Memorial to the Missing, peninsula of Chunuk Bair Chunuk Bair, Turkey In honour of the soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Battle of Chunuk Bair of 8 August 1915 Jean Batten Memorial, MajorcaMemorial plaque in cemetery in Majorca where Jean Batten is buried Le Quesnoy, France Messines Ridge (New Zealand) Memorial Messines Ridge British Cemetery, near the town of Mesen, Belgium World War I memorial, listing 827 officers and men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force with no known grave who died in or near Messines (now Mesen) in 1917 and 1918. This period included the Battle of Messines (1917) and Battle of Messines (1918). Longueval, France (Caterpillar Valley Cemetery) New Zealand Memorial in KoreaNZ Memorial in Korea New Zealand War Memorial, London London, England, on the Piccadilly side of Hyde Park Corner Officially named "Southern Stand", established to commemorate "the enduring bond between New Zealand and the United Kingdom", and the lives lost by the two countries during the two World Wars. New Zealand Memorial 's GravenstafelNew Zealand Expeditionary Force 's Graventafel (formerly Gravenstafel) Belgium New Zealand Memorial, commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele or 3rd Battle of Ypres, specifically the capture of Gravenstafel by the New Zealand Division during the Battle of Broodseinde, 4 October 1917. Also called New Zealand Memorial, Passendale/Passchendaele.
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