Kāhui St David’s, Auckland’s centre for music-making, inspiration and social connection, will host the 10th annual Art of Remembrance event to mark Anzac week.
St David’s Memorial Church, whose foundation stone was laid on Anzac Day 1927 as a memorial to World War One, was initially dedicated as The Soldiers’ Memorial Church. Today, it is home to Kāhui St David’s, a charitable trust.
It serves as a place of remembrance for all branches of the New Zealand Defence Force, as well as Auckland’s centre for cultural connection and community gathering, as a living memorial.
This year’s Art of Remembrance pays special tribute to the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, past and present, for their service in war, conflict, and peacekeeping. It also recognises the vital role nurses play across New Zealand, providing care in hospitals and communities, both at home and abroad.
Kāhui St David’s is near the medical and nursing schools and Auckland Hospital in Grafton. As part of this year’s commemoration, a bronze plaque dedicated to the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps will be unveiled and permanently installed in the Great Hall.
“Nurses have served with courage and compassion in every major conflict New Zealand has faced. In what is our 10th year of Art of Remembrance, we honour their legacy, their ongoing service, and their place at the heart of care – both in uniform and throughout our hospitals and communities,” said Paul Baragwanath, Director of Friends of St David’s Trust Kāhui Rangi Pūpū.
“We also hope that all nurses will see Kāhui St David’s as their place, together with the family of the RNZE (Royal New Zealand Engineers), 28 Battalion and Veterans.”
Since launching in 2015 with the Max Gimblett quatrefoil installation, the Art of Remembrance has become a nationally recognised tradition.
In 2023, Brigadier Rose King (now Chief of Army) lit the Lamp of Remembrance, which continues to shine daily at Kāhui St David’s, honouring all who have served across the Defence Force and veteran community. Today, the building stands as a memorial for all branches of service.
Many are expected to attend Art of Remembrance and experience this revitalised heritage space’s magnificent acoustics. Performances include Sopranos Felicity Tomkins and Michelle Thorne, David Harvey on bagpipes, the Off-Broadway Big Band, Helen Lukman-Fox on the 1905 Croft Organ, and the audience singing together.
