It is with great pride that I report on a wonderful month of April at Te Arawhata.
Of course, the main story for this month was an incredible Anzac weekend. I was delighted to see so many French and New Zealand visitors for this key event, the most important of the calendar for us at Te Arawhata. Across three days of commemorations, we welcomed hundreds through the doors of the Museum and even more attended services throughout the town.
Interest back home seemed to be peaking, too – Te Arawhata appeared on TV, radio and podcasts and was present throughout the country’s newspapers. We were thrilled to see the impact of Le Quesnoy’s remembrance breaking through with Kiwis in Aotearoa.
Here in the north of France, we also saw that keen interest, with thousands of views on videos of kapa haka performances by Ngāti Rānana in front of the Museum. Te Arawhata is unique in these parts, and the local interest is clear to see.
An event like Anzac Day is the sum of countless contributions. I am so grateful to all those who have worked to make this event a success. Special thanks go to Marie-Sophie Lesne and the town of Le Quesnoy, Ambassador Kempkers and the New Zealand Embassy at Paris, Ngāti Rānana, the Institut Ste Jeanne d’Arc, Alexandra Francis, Nathen Degrande, the Le Quesnoy Historical Circle, and my team, including our wonderful interns Madelyne Rémy and Sam Rea-Rankin.
April has otherwise been a busy month for us at the Museum!
We have seen the redevelopment works of the park behind Te Arawhata commence in earnest, with the demolition of five of the derelict buildings.
Works are expected to continue for the next few months, with the park opening late Summer.
Te Arawhata Learning and Engagement Manager Lindsay Vanstavel led an initiative to bring school students through the Museum before heading out to the military cemetery to lay poppies before the graves of New Zealand soldiers. More than 50 local children made their first visit to this sacred place and now have a better understanding of why Le Quesnoy has streets named “Rue Nouvelle-Zélande”, “Rue Hélène Clark” and “Place des All Blacks”.
We continue to foster a relationship with the Carrière Wellington in Arras, another important site which remembers New Zealand’s service in the First World War. Te Arawhata Marketing and Operations Manager Jacob Siermans and I attended commemorations for the Battle of Arras on 9 April, and Jacob returned on 29 April to host a conference about the origins of Anzac Day.
On behalf of the Te Arawhata team, I am proud sign off on April and invite you to join us for our upcoming events in 2026. And with the warm memories of Anzac Day, we especially invite you to join us for the commemorations in 2027.