Pukeahu National War Memorial Park wins landscape architecture awards

Pukeahu National War Memorial Park’s overall win at 2017’s New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture annual awards has been noted as a fitting accolade a special place of remembrance.

The War Memorial Park won the George Malcolm Award - the supreme category - and also took out the Parks’ prize at this week’s presentation.

Acknowledging the recognition, New Zealand Arts, Culture, and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry stated “Pukeahu provides a place for solemn commemoration even as the everyday life of Wellington city carries on around it - there is a perfect balance there.

“I congratulate my predecessor Hon Chris Finlayson for enabling the creation of the Park and the Arras tunnel and the team at Wraight Athfield Landscape and Architecture for their initial design.

“Since opening in 2015 almost 200,000 people have visited there and Sir Peter Jackson’s magnificent Great War Exhibition in the old Buckle St museum building behind the Carillon.

“More than 3000 students have also visited the Queen Elizabeth II Pukeahu Education Centre since it was officially opened in August 2016.

“The National War Memorial Park continues to develop further as a place for remembrance with the addition of more international memorials. In March 2017, the Turkish Ambassador His Excellency Ahmet Ergin and I unveiled the Turkish Memorial.

“Later in 2017 memorials from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Belgium will follow. A French memorial will be installed in time for Anzac Day 2018, followed by a Canadian memorial.”

The ANZAC Day dawn service at 6.00am and the 11:00am national service will again be held at Pukeahu in 2017.

Minister Barry added “Pukeahu National War Memorial Park and the refurbished National War Memorial have together now gained 12 awards.

“This reflects the outstanding work of all those who have established the park and its presence in the hearts of all New Zealanders.”

Top image shows the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park on ANZAC Day 2016. Images courtesy of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

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