New Zealand Memorial in London – context
Relationship between NZ and UK
This memorial commemorates the enduring bonds between New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and our shared sacrifice during times of war. It is a symbol both of our common heritage, and of New Zealand's distinct national identity.
Dedication text on the memorial
The United Kingdom and New Zealand share close family, historical, cultural, sporting, and economic ties.
The first formal link was forged in 1840 when representatives of Queen Victoria signed the Treaty of Waitangi with many Māori chiefs, creating the founding document for New Zealand as it exists today. This pivotal moment is commemorated on the memorial by the text of the Third Article of the Treaty, which gave Māori the 'rights and privileges' of British subjects.
The Treaty also enabled New Zealand to become a British colony. As a result, most immigrants to New Zealand in the 19 th century came from Britain, and exports to 'home' were the foundation of New Zealand's economy for nearly a century.
The first shipment to the UK of our ubiquitous frozen meat and butter in 1882 is recorded on the memorial. This sculpture celebrates the mutual trade that continues today. The UK is currently New Zealand's fifth largest export market, and many New Zealand companies use the UK as a base for expanding operations into Europe. Nowadays, biotechnology, creative industries, and specialised manufactured products (such as outdoor clothing) are gaining on the staple exports of meat and dairy products.
One of the most enduring exports from Britain to New Zealand in the early colonial years was sport, especially rugby, cricket, sailing, and rowing. Today the national sporting rivalry burns brightly, as seen during the recent Lions tour.
Even though New Zealand became a Dominion in 1907, it was as Britons that most New Zealanders thought of themselves through the First World War years and beyond (despite the emerging nationalism encouraged by the ANZAC troops' role at Gallipoli in 1915).
Like many Kiwis before and since making "the long migration, under a compulsion they hardy understand", Robin Hyde went to Britain to further her literary career. Many New Zealand writers, artists, musicians, and performers – from Katherine Mansfield in 1908 to the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2004 – have made this cultural pilgrimage.
For young New Zealanders today, the 'big OE' (overseas experience) is still a core goal in life. Many wandering Kiwis base themselves in London using the UK's working holiday scheme. It is these expats who, among others, will be attending Anzac Day services at Hyde Park Corner in the years to come.
Nowadays the trip is becoming more of an exchange, with many British tourists attracted by New Zealand's '100% pure' image to take advantage of our 'great outdoors'. The landscape and wildlife of New Zealand are celebrated on several standards in the memorial. Perhaps these images will tempt more Britons to make the "long migration" around the globe to the Antipodes.
Shared wartime experiences
A special bond was forged each time New Zealand answered the United Kingdom's request for troops to serve in various armed conflicts, especially the First and Second World Wars. 250,000 New Zealanders served in various roles during the wars of the 20 th century – fighting, nursing, and supporting.
On the home front, the country's economy went on a war footing and contributing to the war effort dominated the lives of many New Zealanders.
Our agricultural shipments to the United Kingdom were vital to that country's well-being during the Second World War and its recovery afterwards.
Place for expressing NZ identity
That 124,211 New Zealand men served in World War I and nearly half were either killed or wounded constituted a collective trauma for the young nation. The legend emerged that on the rocky slopes of Gallipoli in 1915 and later in the muddy trenches of France and Flanders the New Zealand people achieved a sense of nationhood. (For the first time, towards the end of the war, the troops began to call themselves 'Kiwis' after the native flightless bird.)
From that trauma emerged the annual Anzac Day commemorations, which have gained in prominence in recent years. The Dawn Service is today the most well attended of the observances, timed to coincide with the initial landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The added symbolism of darkness breaking into sunrise makes for a compelling and emotional experience for participants.
An Anzac Day dawn service like those that will be held at the memorial in years to come.
In an increasingly globalised world, it is all the more important that people are able to assert their own national identity. There is an increasing demand by young New Zealanders, particularly when they are overseas, to express their national identity on occasions such as Anzac Day and Waitangi Day. The memorial provides a place for the many thousands of New Zealanders living in London to do that.
