Lest we forget: A 10-year milestone for Pukeahu National War Memorial Park
Images sourced from waal.co.nz
This year’s ANZAC day is the tenth in the life of Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington.
After a design competition instigated by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage in 2007, and won through a joint venture collaboration between Wraight + Associates and Athfield Architects, the 21,000m² Pukeahu National War Memorial Park was completed for the 2015 Anzac Day centenary of the Gallipoli landings. It was officially opened on 18 April that year.
The Ministry of Culture and Heritage made the following statement in a Facebook post this month ahead of ANZAC Day:
Over the past 10 years, Pukeahu has become a treasured place of remembrance and reflection. The park has welcomed numerous significant visitors, including dignitaries and international guests, and has been the site of countless ceremonies, school visits, and special events. From Anzac Day commemorations and educational programmes, to concerts and tours, Pukeahu is a place for all New Zealanders. Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has visited Pukeahu throughout the years. Haere mai ki a koutou katoa.
In March this year the official Instagram account for Pukeahu (@pukeahu) paid special tribute to Megan Wraight (1962-2020) for her instrumental role in its creation.
The park collected multiple awards, including:
The 2017 Resene Pride in Place award (NZILA)
NZILA George Malcolm Award — 2017
NZILA Category Winner / Parks — 2017
2016 Public and Institutional Spaces Gold Award, The Designers Institute of NZ Best Design Awards
2016 NZIA Wellington Architecture Award: Planning and Urban Design
2016 NZIA Wellington Architecture Award: Public Architecture
2015 Urban Design & Architectural Merit award, Wellington Property People Awards
2015 NZ Indigenous and Specialty Timber Award at the NZ Timber Awards
2015 NZ Concrete Society Awards: Infrastructure Award
2015 NZ Concrete Society Awards: Landscape Award
2015 NZ Concrete Society Awards: Supreme Award
Further Reading
RNZ - Megan Wraight and Stuart Dun - Pukeahu Park (an interview with Wallace Chapman from 2017)
NZ History - Visiting Pukeahu
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga - National War Memorial
Urban magazine’s 2011 article on an addition to the Auckland War Memorial Museum - The act of ‘giving life to memory’ in our public spaces
Memories and melancholia from Landscape Architecture 2010