Dannevirke museum upset by council contribution to Liberation Museum in France

Murray Holden: the Dannevirke Gallery of History needs support from the council. Photo / Leanne Warr

A volunteer at a local museum is upset over a council contribution to an overseas museum, saying it is “wrong on a number of levels”.

The New Zealand Liberation Museum, also known as Te Arawhata, opened earlier this month in Le Quesnoy, France.

Its link to the nation is in the vital part New Zealand soldiers played in the liberation of the town in 1918.

Councils around the country were asked to contribute, based on ratepayer numbers, toward the creation of the museum, and in 2018 Tararua District Council voted to contribute $10,000 from the Heritage Protection Reserve.

Te Arawhata (New Zealand Liberation Museum) opened earlier this month. Photo / Whakaata Māori

Dannevirke Gallery of History president Murray Holden says he doesn’t think the council should have granted the money to a museum overseas “when there are museums in the Tararua District that are actually struggling”.

“I feel somewhat hurt about this because we haven’t had a cent in the 30-odd years we’ve been open, from the council.”

The museum has been able to occasionally apply to Dannevirke Community Board for amounts of between $1000 to $2000 under the General Assistance Grants Scheme.

Murray believes only seven councils voted to provide support for the museum.

“I think that speaks volumes.”

In a recent After 5 event organised by the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce at the museum, which is housed in a heritage category two building, Murray says he “took a swipe” at the lack of monies being granted from the council.

The museum was put in contact with a council staffer who would show them how to get funding from outside funders, which he says they’ve already done and feels if the council values its heritage, it needs to support local museums.

As far as Murray is aware, the council has no arts, culture and heritage strategy and feels there should be.

He objects to the council supporting the Liberation Museum, saying that local councils shouldn’t have any part to play in supporting it, as it should really come from central government.

He says the Gallery of History honours “the people that fought from our area” adding they have details of those who died, as well as cenotaphs and memorials throughout the district.

Council chief executive Bryan Nicholson believes the project had widespread support. Photo / NZME

Council chief executive Bryan Nicholson says the donation provided by the council in 2018 was to support “this important project which had widespread support from New Zealanders”.

He says the council chose to support the project after it was approached by Sir Don McKinnon, chairman of the New Zealand Memorial Museum Trust, because of its importance in New Zealand history.

“We also now know that Tararua locals were killed in the battle.”

Two are buried at the cemetery at Les Quesnoy: Colin Thomson, from Norsewood, and Llewellyn Gibson, of Pahiatua.

The story of Les Quesnoy is that after four years of German occupation, on November 4, 1918, the citizens of the town were freed by New Zealand soldiers.

“This liberation of the walled town by ladder was a feat so unusual it even made the New York Times,” Bryan says.

“The New Zealanders did not fire over the ramparts, preserving civilian lives within the town. While there was New Zealand loss of life, fighting for the freedom of the French, not one citizen of the town died in the battle.”

Mayor Tracey Collis was invited to the opening of the museum and attended at her own cost.

More than 120,000 New Zealanders enlisted and around 100,000 served overseas in World War I. One in five of those who served abroad did not return.

“Visiting here, our people’s graves are well cared for, their actions and our support are held in the highest regard and they are remembered and acknowledged on both Anzac and Armistic services,” Tracey says.

“They are remembered for their help from the opposite side of the world. Without their action and sacrifice, our history in New Zealand would be very different”.

Bryan says while the French have given New Zealanders a memorial, “donated land and dedicated gardens to us and we feature in their museums, Te Arawhata gives us a place to stand in Europe”.

There are five active museums in the Tararua District, all operated by passionate and dedicated volunteers.

Bryan says the Gallery of History was advised to make a submission to the council’s Long Term Plan as this is where funding decisions are made.

“We fund our community boards and committees to enable them to make decisions at a local town level towards projects and to support organisations.

He says how grant funding is applied in the future is open for discussion.

“We look forward to hearing from our voluntary organisations during the Long Term Plan.”