When retired New Zealand Army major Simon Strombom spent a day cleaning up the overgrown grave of a World War I veteran in Porirua Cemetery, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. That small act of respect for a long-forgotten soldier led to the beginning of the New Zealand Remembrance Army (NZRA), a group of volunteers who give up hours of their time to restore war graves in public cemeteries across Aotearoa.
With the support of KiwiSaver and managed funds provider AMP, the non-profit has made significant strides in its mission to ensure the final resting places of Kiwi veterans are maintained with dignity and respect.
“It’s been an interesting journey. We’ve gone from one grave to 150,000 graves,” says Strombom, a Distinguished Service-decorated veteran who served in Afghanistan and the Middle East. “Without AMP, we could not do what we do. They give us the ability to really extend ourselves and do some pretty amazing projects around New Zealand, and that is just critical.”
The graves of veterans buried in service sections of public cemeteries are maintained by Veterans’ Affairs, and those who died on active service are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission through the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. But veterans buried elsewhere in cemeteries, including in family plots, are not covered and many of their graves have fallen into disrepair.
In 2018, Strombom and other like-minded volunteers established the NZRA to organise groups throughout New Zealand to clean, restore and preserve the neglected headstones in cemeteries around the nation. Their efforts are not just about physical restoration but also about keeping alive the stories and legacies of our unsung heroes – of which there are many, says Strombom. As well as restoring headstones and grave sites, volunteers research service records and then share their stories on social media, ensuring that the sacrifices of New Zealand’s veterans are not forgotten.
AMP is a sponsor of the NZRA, contributing funds to help the organisation’s efforts through its “A Little Help” promise.
“AMP has been operating in New Zealand for over 160 years, and as a natural consequence of that, our history includes stories of previous employees who have served in conflicts to provide us with the freedoms we enjoy today – for that we are endlessly grateful,” says Jeff Ruscoe, Managing Director, AMP Wealth Management NZ.
“We are proud to partner with the Remembrance Army so that the sacrifices of all New Zealand’s servicemen and women are honoured and remembered.”
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