KIWI SPIRIT
In developing the experience, a Māori world-view powerfully frames values universal to all humanity. Responding to the high interest from people in Le Quesnoy and across France and Europe, this approach provides a distinctive experience and engagement that could only come from Aotearoa New Zealand. Every part of the experience is designed to feel human and intimate; visitors will feel connected – to the people at the heart of the story, to each other, and to the past and our collective futures.
At the heart of the experience is an evocation of the ladder (Te Arawhata) that the New Zealanders used to scale the town’s ramparts and liberate the citizens of Le Quesnoy. While Te Arawhata is the te reo Māori word for ladder, it also conveys the concept of an elevated pathway to higher learning.
Here we see the power of a Te Ao Māori approach. Te Arawhata symbolises the immutable characteristics of the soldiers who climbed it, but also the successive generations – encouraging them, us and those who follow to be ambitious, resilient, determined and courageous. This is the living legacy of those brave New Zealand soldiers, one we and future generations will remember and honour through our thoughts and actions in the world we inhabit today.
Visiting the New Zealand Liberation Museum - Te Arawhata
Come to Le Quesnoy to visit the museum and also to take in the beauty of this small French town that has been witness to so much history. Walk around the rampart fortifications dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries with beautiful parks, including many oak trees, which are the symbol of the town.
Site designed and developed by Great North