Ian McKelvie: Army Museum 40 years young and well worth a visit.

Lest we forget - celebrating 40 years of National Army Museum

Earlier this month I was privileged to attend the 40th anniversary celebrations of the National Army Museum in Waiouru with my colleague Mark Mitchell, who is National's defence spokesman.

The museum was designed by Sir Miles Warren to blend into the barren landscape in a location where it was most relevant.

It's now 40 years since a major fundraising effort — and a team of army engineers and volunteer labourers — provided New Zealand with its National Army Museum. It was opened by Prime Minister Rob Muldoon and Governor-General Keith Holyoake in October 1978.

Forty years on and the building still looks much the same, though it now receives around 100,000 visitors a year and the exhibits within have evolved with the times to include personal stories, interactive displays and guided tours, as well as traditional static presentations.

According to current acting director Windsor Jones, the focus is on telling the stories of ordinary New Zealanders doing extraordinary things in really tough circumstances.
The museum is definitely not about glorifying war, and over the years the staff have been applauded for telling a balanced story as opposed to extolling the victors or the vanquished.

The memorial aspect of the museum also remains very important.

The heart of what they do in telling personal stories is about remembering the fallen.
In December 2007, when the country learned of the theft of 96 medals from the museum, many New Zealanders felt a real sense of personal loss. The heist affected the staff and people throughout the country deeply.

This episode in the museum's history served to highlight to the nation what the National Army Museum really stood for.

Fast forward a decade or so and I believe there is definitely a heightened awareness of military history among New Zealanders, young and old. Part of this is probably attributable to a number of centenary commemorations of famous World War I battles over recent years, like Gallipoli and the Battle of the Somme.

Our museum is definitely not a gloomy mausoleum.

While it is respectful of the Kiwi sacrifice and service we are so proud of, it is at the same time modern and progressive, and there's usually a school bus in the parking area.

In fact, the museum has put a huge focus on children and young people with its Kids' Zone and various school programmes run by two specialist educators.

The Kippenberger Library at the museum is kept busy with family history inquiries as people take the time to wonder about their parents or grandparents' involvement in active duty.

We are incredibly fortunate to have a well-respected tourist destination, complete with cafe and visitor i-Site right on our doorstep — and with big plans for expansion.

Yet many people in the Central and Lower North Island have never paid a visit to the National Army Museum. Maybe, this is the summer to gather up your family and visitors and take in some of New Zealand's heritage ... you'll be glad you did.

Ian McKelvie is the National MP for Rangitikei