Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

WW100 First World War Centenary Programme announced

Christopher Finlayson

28 JULY, 2014

WW100 First World War Centenary Programme announced

New Zealand’s programme for commemorations for the 2014-2019 centenary of the First World War, WW100, has been launched today by Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson.

The WW100 programme is reflective of New Zealand’s experience of the First World War on the battlefields of Turkey, Europe and Middle East, and on the home front.

“Our First World War centenary programme tells New Zealand stories from one of the most significant global events of the 20th Century,” Mr Finlayson. “This was a conflict that touched all of New Zealand, whether the men and women who went overseas or those who stayed behind.”

The official commemorative programme commences with a public ceremony to mark the beginning of the First World War for New Zealand at Parliament in Wellington on Monday 4 August and a ceremony in Auckland on 29 August to mark the New Zealand occupation of German Samoa.

The WW100 commemoration will address different themes of the experiences of the War over the 2014–2019 period:

• 2014 - Duty and adventure

• 2015 - The Anzac connection

• 2016 - Transition - a national war effort

• 2017 - The grind of war

• 2018 - The darkness before the dawn

• 2019 - Finding our way back

Local communities throughout New Zealand have embraced the centenary creating events and activities reflecting their communities’ experiences of the First World War.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“To date, there are almost 500 projects and activities scheduled to occur in New Zealand over the course of the centenary,” Mr Finlayson said. “Community activities, often telling personal connections and stories, are at the heart of the WW100 programme., They include re-enactments of troop departures, theatre and musical performances, museum and art gallery exhibitions, academic lectures, digitisation of family mementoes, and television documentaries and dramas.”

“In support of these projects, the Lottery Grants Board has recently announced an additional $5 million available for WW100-related projects.”

There will be a peak of activity planned for Anzac Day next year. The overall ‘war story’ will continue to develop significantly as the focus of commemorations moves to the time of the Western Front.

Government-led projects include opening the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in 2015, a series of thirteen First World War publications, national and international commemorations of significant battles, and heritage trails for New Zealanders travelling to Gallipoli and the battlefields of the Western Front in France and Belgium.

Information about the programme is listed in detail on the WW100 website,www.WW100.govt.nz

The website now incorporates WW100 events listing supported by Eventfinder, making it is easier to see what’s happening in our regions and also New Zealand events overseas. A new feature powered by Digital New Zealand facilitates public access to over 1,000 official war photographs held in the Alexander Turnbull Library with ‘no known copyright restrictions’, and other public domain items from New Zealand museums, libraries and archives.

“The Centenary is an opportunity to remember and reflect on all New Zealanders’ service and sacrifice during the First World War,” Mr Finlayson said. “It is also a time to better understand what we stood for and why. Through our experience in this conflict, New Zealand’s identity and values became more distinct at home and abroad.”

“I encourage all New Zealanders to take part in the centenary programme,” Mr Finlayson said.

See programme details: www.WW100.govt.nz


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.