Royal Dedication for New Zealand Memorial
Media Release issued on behalf of the New Zealand Memorial Project, 11 November 2006.
Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, today (Saturday) attended the official dedication of the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, London.
They were welcomed at the ceremony by the New Zealand Prime Minister, Rt Hon Helen Clark and more than 2,000 dignitaries, veterans, New Zealand defence staff and members of the public.
Greeted by a Royal Guard of Honour lined up amongst the sixteen towering bronze standards of the New Zealand Memorial, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were accompanied by TRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, HRH Prince William, HRH the Duke of York, HRH the Princess Royal and HRH the Duke of Kent, Rt Hon Tony Blair and Mrs Cherie Blair and a congregation of distinguished United Kingdom and New Zealand dignitaries.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony, the New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon Helen Clark, who is also the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, said: 'The dedication of the New Zealand Memorial by Her Majesty the Queen brings to fruition a project long planned for. Its genesis lay in the desire to commemorate the shared sacrifice of New Zealanders in times of war alongside the people of Britain. But the project also acquired a deeper meaning. The extent of the shared sacrifice occurred because of the depth of New Zealand’s relationship with Britain, going back to James Cook’s first voyage of discovery and, in the almost two and a half centuries since, resulting in large movements of people between Britain and New Zealand.'
Prime Minister Rt Hon Tony Blair MP also addressed the audience which included more than 300 members from the New Zealand Defence Force the largest contingent of New Zealand armed forces present in the United Kingdom since World War II.
The ceremony commenced with a 120 strong military march from Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner. The Royal Guard and band were accompanied onto the site by over sixty New Zealand and UK veterans who fought in WWII, Japan, Korea and the Malayan emergency and were flanked by the New Zealand Defence Force Maori culture group.
Three Typhoons from RAF Base Conningby joined the Royal New Zealand Boeing 757 aircraft which had brought the defence contingent from New Zealand in a spectacular ‘fly past’ at 1000ft above Hyde Park.
Mr Martin Matthews, Chief Executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, which has been responsible for the memorial said: 'This is a memorial for everyone and stands in London as a distinctive statement of the special relationship between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The memorial is a symbol not only of the shared sacrifice in war, but also of the cultural heritage we share. So much of New Zealand life has been influenced by the United Kingdom and its people.'
The Royal party greeted the 34 New Zealand veterans at the end of the ceremony, along with memorial designers Paul Dibble and John Hardwick Smith.
New Zealand veteran, John Campbell, National President Royal New Zealand Returned Services’ Association, said: 'Being at this dedication ceremony means so much to me and all the other veterans who have made the long trip to be here.
'To see the memorial in Hyde Park Corner was very emotional but also marvellous. The presence of so many members of the Royal family, both Prime Ministers and the hundreds of young New Zealanders attending, really meant a lot to all of us.
'We know the memorial will provide a wonderful focal point for New Zealanders living in and visiting the United Kingdom and we are very proud to be here.'
A strong cultural significance of the ceremony was retained throughout by New Zealand singers Dave Dobbyn and Hayley Westenra and with moving karanga and haka performances from Ngati Ranana — the London-based Maori community — and the New Zealand Defence Force Maori culture group.
Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, which has worked closely with the New Zealand government throughout to enable the project said: 'The New Zealand memorial was specifically designed for this sloping site in Hyde Park Corner and will add a powerful new dimension to this important green space at the heart of the city.'
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