Little Poland Park: Christchurch park’s Polish connection to Pahīatua

Christchurch City Council deputy mayor Pauline Cotter unveils the information board with Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis at Little Poland Park in Christchurch.

A park in a suburb in Christchurch has a link to Pahīatua’s Polish children.

Little Poland Park, in the suburb of Oakbridge, was unveiled in a special event held last month.

November was also the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the Polish children in New Zealand.

In a report, Dr Krzysztof (Krys) Pawlikowski, President of the South Island Branch of Polish RSA, noted that around 200 people attended the event.

The story of the Polish children, refugees from the war in Europe at the time, is well-known to many Pahīatua residents as the children and their caregivers would stay at a camp roughly 2km from the township.

Most would go on to stay in New Zealand.

An event was held in Pahīatua to mark the 80th anniversary in early November.

Pahīatua welcomes home Polish children on 80th anniversary

Krys, a professor at Canterbury University, says among those who attended the park’s opening were five surviving children who live in Christchurch.

There were also descendants of some of the Polish orphans.

An information board which displays basic information on what happened in 1944 as well as a QR code linking people online to the full history of the Polish children.

A plaque on a memorial bench at Little Poland Park in Christchurch.

A memorial oak tree was planted and included a plaque at Little Poland Park.

Two memorial plaques were also unveiled.

Krys says it was a day to reflect on the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity and displacement during one of the darkest periods in human history.

“And a renewed thanks to the people of New Zealand for their great hospitality shown to the unknown orphans over 80 years ago.”

Consul-General of Poland Maksymilian Zych was there for the unveiling, as was Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis.

At the November meeting of Tararua District Council, Tracey reflected on the event.

“The story of the Polish children is an important one not only to Pahīatua but to the Tararua District as well and when they called the park Little Poland and they invited us to that, I think it was important for the Polish children themselves to have the story.”

She says there are strong Polish Associations in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch and each had their own celebrations for the 80th anniversary.

Tracey says the story of the children coming to New Zealand is well-known in Poland but not so well-known in New Zealand.

However, it was going to be part of the school curriculum going forward.