War Museum

Marty and I flew to Auckland to teach our Pediatric seminar, arriving a couple of days early so we can explore a bit of New Zealand’s North Island. Whenever we travel for teaching, we try to understand the place we’re in, not just the seminar room, but the history and culture that shape the people we’re working with. One of the places that helped us begin to understand New Zealand was the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Set high above the city in the Auckland Domain, the building immediately caught our attention. It gives a sense of importance. The museum was opened in 1929, originally built as a memorial to those who served in the First World War. That struck us, for in the United States, World War I is often overshadowed, even forgotten in the larger narrative of history. Yet here in New Zealand, an entire building of this prominence was created to honor that generation. 

This was not a small monument tucked into a park. This is one of the city’s defining landmarks, placed on elevated ground, visible from afar and woven into the identity of Auckland. It spoke to me how deeply that war imparted this country, how personal the losses must have been for a smaller nation sending so many of its people to war.

As we entered, we realized that while this building started as a war memorial, it had grown into something larger. Inside are extensive collections that tell the story of New Zealand: its Maori and Pacific heritage, its natural environment and its historical development.  

The building holds both memory and identity, honoring those who were lost while also telling the story of the nation they came from. Here we were given a glimpse into the history, values and perspective of this country.