2 February 2017

Porirua’s Peace Memorial to be upgraded to create a strong ceremonial space

A memorial wall acknowledging the local people who have died as a result of war will form part of a major upgrade of Porirua’s Peace Memorial on Te Rauparaha Park.

The upgrade reflects the memorial’s importance as a centre of the city’s war and peace commemorations and will better cater for the growing ANZAC Day crowds.

The Porirua City Council is working with the Returned Services Association on the project and today, Thursday 2 February, the City Delivery Committee approved funding of $517,000 for the upgrade.

“The Peace Memorial is the centre of war and peace commemorations in Porirua and particularly on ANZAC Day when an increasing number of people, including many youngsters and their families, are attending,” says City Delivery Committee chair Anita Baker.

“This is an opportunity to improve the space around the memorial to strengthen its role as the city’s most important commemorative space and to contribute to the city centre revitalisation project.”

The upgrade will create a space that gives the memorial a strong presence with a large area for ceremonial occasions.

It will include a memorial wall displaying the names of local people who died as a result of war, a larger seating area, a better approach to the memorial from Hagley St over a widened footpath, improved access with two new pedestrian links to Te Rauparaha Arena and Norrie Street from the memorial, and two statues on either side of the memorial; one of a soldier and the other of a woman and children.

The RSA is fundraising to cover the cost of the statues and the plaques to go on the memorial wall.

The design has been developed by the architects involved in Porirua City Centre’s revitalisation in discussion with the RSA’s Porirua War Memorial Project team and the Council, and the project will reflect design elements used in the city centre upgrade.

Porirua War Memorial Project team member Allan Dodson said the project had come about because the RSA felt Porirua needed a better space to commemorate those who had sacrificed their lives in the cause of freedom.

“We are thrilled the Council has given the project its backing and provided funding to ensure we can achieve a really comprehensive, good quality upgrade to recognise those who made the supreme sacrifice,” said Mr Dodson.

The new memorial wall will carry the names of those lost in the Boer War, First and Second World Wars and the Far East Wars and there will be plaques acknowledging the people lost in the New Zealand Wars and as peace givers or peace keepers.

“As part of this project we are also gathering the stories of local people who have served in any armed conflict and so far have around 200 of those stories published on our website www.poriruawarstories.com,”said Mr Dodson.

The aim is to complete the upgrade of the Porirua Peace Memorial by October this year to coincide with the commemorative date for the New Zealand Wars and the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele where New Zealand suffered its heaviest casualties in one day.

ENDS

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