“…the Somme, where…the surface of the land was…covered by unburied corpses in hundreds and hundreds…where our brave men lay scattered…”
16/1017 Captain Harry Dansey, NZ Pioneer (Māori) Battalion, Otago Infantry Regiment
WWI: New Zealand and the Great War is an exhibition featuring personal moments experienced by New Zealanders during the First World War inspired by the collections held by the museum. Learn how Walter Crowther changed his name and lied about his age to enlist, and came home with a Military Medal. Hear Pita Tahitahi, one of the first 500 of the Māori Contingent, as he recounts his experiences at Gallipoli. Learn why Alice Gill received a Belgian medal for her work on the home front.
The exhibition is comprised of themes that set the scene for the unnamed soldier featured around the gallery. At Home recounts the years before the outbreak of the First World War. Deployment speaks to the fractures felt within communities as some men were eager volunteers, and others were conscripted into service. At War details the theatres in which New Zealand service personnel were stationed. After the Armistice and The Hidden Cost of War highlight some of the experiences felt by both soldiers and those that remained at home, as well as lasting legacies of the war.
The National Army Museum Te Mata Toa acknowledges that war has many perspectives and events, and only some have been represented in this exhibition. We acknowledge that it is impossible to convey the entirety of the New Zealand First World War experience.
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Exhibition curators:
Caitlin Timmer-Arends, Collections and Exhibitions Manager
Elizabeth Mildon, Heraldry Curator
Brenden Shirley, Accoutrements, Social History and Medical Curator
Daniel Tizzard-Close, Kaiārahi
Debbie Clunie, Teacher
Nathan Lauridsen, Exhibition Coordinator
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Exhibition contributors:
Steve Pitts, Exhibition Technician
Terrence Seymour, Weapons Curator
Gerrie Toko-Mikahere, Vehicles, Technology and Artillery Curator
Dolores Ho, Archivist
Rob Mildon, Research Assistant
Pare Bennett, Teacher
Gary Ross, Kaiārahi
Marlene Smith, Education and Visitor Experience Leader
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