War memorial proposed for Hāhei as Anzac Day commemorations attract growing crowds

The Kotare Reserve Memorial Garden in Hāhei.

Residents and ratepayers in the Coromandel settlement of Hāhei are planning to build a war memorial as Anzac Day commemorations attract growing numbers.

The Kotare Reserve Memorial Garden Trust want to erect a war memorial plaque and flagpole at the Kotare Reserve Memorial Garden, in memory of local soldiers who fell in World War I and World War II.

Trust chairman Laurie Holyoake said the concept had been led by ratepayers as Anzac Day commemorations had turned into big events, attracting up to 300 people.

“People thought it would be nice to have a memorial to the fallen soldiers.”

He said it would be ideal to have the memorial ready for 2025 commemorations at an estimated cost of between $10,000 and $15,000.

An architect's drawing of the war memorial.

The project would be funded by the community.

Holyoake said a draft design had been prepared by an architect.

The proposed position of the memorial would not interfere with a tree memorial in the reserve, it would have its own position and place for Anzac Day.

Simple wording remembering all men and women who had contributed to World War I and World War II along with the 22 names of fallen soldiers connected with the area had been suggested.

The material suggested by the architect would reflect the materials used in the existing memorial garden.

He said a budget would be prepared but was seeking acceptance from all involved parties and discussion of cost sharing.

Mercury Bay Community Board will consider the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday.

Thames Coromandel District Council entered into a memorandum of understanding with the trust in 2018 to establish a memorial garden in Kotare Reserve, on Pa Rd.

In 2018 the Kotare Reserve Memorial Garden Trust signed a memorandum of understanding with the Thames Coromandel District Council to develop a memorial garden in a designated area towards the eastern boundary of the reserve. The garden is a place where members of the public can lay plaques in memory of those who have significantly contributed to the community.

A clause in the agreement allowed the trust to make subsequent improvements to the memorial garden, subject to approval from the Mercury Bay Community Board.

Since the signing of the agreement the trust had built memorial walls and established the symbolic Tree of Life.

Storytelling signage had also been installed providing a historical account of the original occupation of the area by Ngāti Hei and, in later times, the Wigmore and Harsant families, together with seating for people who visited the garden to contemplate and reflect.

Following a request from the Hāhei Resident and Ratepayers Association to consider the possibility of including a memorial for local soldiers who fell in World War I and World War II in the garden, the trust presented the association with a design proposal in September.

The association subsequently reviewed and agreed to the design proposal subject to a small change to the wording on the war memorial plaque and offered to donate a flagpole.

Council staff had recommended approving the installation of a war memorial plaque and flagpole at Kotare Reserve Memorial Garden.

Staff said it would contribute to a vibrant and connected community.

Should the recommended option be supported by the community board, staff would provide advice and co-ordinate with the trust as and when required.