As the year approaches its close, Museum Director Elizabeth Wratislav and Marketing and Operations Manager Jacob Siermans have been out and about spreading the word of Te Arawhata.
Late November brought the opportunity to catch the train to Paris to attend a reception with the Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters. Alongside Mr Peters, the team had the chance to catch up with Kiwis living and working in the French capital and to invite them to make the trip up to Le Quesnoy in 2025.
Lizzie and Jacob also hopped over the Channel to visit our friends in London. After attending the New Zealand Society’s annual Christmas carols event, they met with members of the New Zealand Defence Force and the New Zealand High Commission to the UK, including the High Commissioner (and 2024 visitor of Te Arawhata) himself, Phil Goff. They also took part in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s carols evening held at the Royal Military Chapel which was reconstructed following damage during The Blitz in 1944. To conclude a fruitful trip to London, Lizzie and Jacob attended the quarterly meeting of New Zealand associations at the High Commission and visited the Imperial War Museum. Three hours, two trains and one passport check later, the team was back at Te Arawhata.
Connections with Paris and the UK are crucial for Te Arawhata – in 2025, we already have groups set to visit from each place, including for our annual Anzac Day commemorations. If you or someone you know if based in Paris or London and would like to hear more about Te Arawhata or Le Quesnoy, don’t hesitate to get in touch.