News & Milestones:

November, December 2009
Photography of Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Banlgadesh, and parts of India (Kolkata, Ranchi, Imphal, and Gauwhati) commenced in November. It is anticipated that photography in these countries will be finished by Christmas this year. (Thank you to the First Sovereign Trust who provided a grant for this work.)

Also a thank you to the Southern Trust who provided a grant to purchase additional camera equipment. The new equipment will permit, amongst other things, the automatic logging of the GPS coordinates of each grave and memorial as they are photographed.

April 2009
In Anzac week, the New Zealand War Graves Trust successfully held an exhibition of its photographs and stories from New Zealand, New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Australia and South Africa. The exhibition was officially opened by Judge Mick Brown, patron of the New Zealand War Graves Trust, and was held in Auckland at the Ranfurly Veterans Home, a new and welcome association for the War Graves Trust.

Dr Mapp said he knows how families can be moved by the sight of a distant war grave of a loved one, as he once agreed to photograph war graves on Crete for New Zealand families, when they were not able to see the sites for themselves.
It is a nice coincidence that the New Zealand War Graves Trust was inspired by just such a photo from Suda Bay of the grave of Private W. G. Bain, N. Z. Infantry, June 2, 1941, aged 23..

November 2008
Don Milne and Denis McLean welcomed as new trustees. Profiles of the trustees and patron are available here.

October 2008
Photography of Tonga completed.

September 2008
Photography of Southern Africa and Australia completed. (Thank you again to the Caversham Foundation who provided a grant for this work.)

August 2008
Photography of Southern Africa and Australia commenced. (Thank you to the Caversham Foundation who provided a grant for this work.)

June 2008
Photography of Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong completed. (Thank you to the Caversham Foundation who provided a grant for this work plus photographing graves in Southern Africa and Australia.)

November 2007
Bourail, New Caledoni and Vanuatu photographs complete.

November 2007
Letter of support received from Leader of National Party John Key.

October 2007
Photography of Western Samoa and Fiji completed.

October 2007
Photographing of graves in the Pacific begins. (Thank you to the Caversham Foundation who provided a grant for photographing graves in Samoa, Fiji, Bourail in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.)

October 2007
Photographing graves in North Island complete, bar a handful of hard-to-identify sites.

June 2007
Judge Mick Brown agrees to be Patron. Auckland lawyer Rebecca Macky joins as a trustee.

April 2007:
Photographing graves in the South Island complete. Photographing started in the North Island.

March 2007:

Photographing graves in New Zealand commenced started in the South Island. The photgrapher thanks all those people in the South Island who helped in locating graves and providing background information.

Donation received from the Wairoa District Council.

February 2007:
Major grant received from The Trusts Charitable Foundation to fund photographing graves in New Zealand. Donations also received from the Rodney District Council, South Taranaki District Council, Manukau City Council, Invercargill City Council, and Waimate District Council.

January 2007:
Donations received from the Clutha District Council.

December 2006:
Donations received from the Waikato District Council, Taupo District Council, Kaipara District Council, and Queenstown Lakes District Council.

November 2006:
Grants received from the Caversham Foundation and the Scottwood Trust.

October 2006:
Offer of surplus vehicle from New Zealand Defence Force.

September 2006:
Grants received from the South Auckland Charitable Trust and the Pelorus Trust.

September 2006:
Support for the project received from The Hon. Judith Tizard, Associate Minister for Culture and Heritage.

August 2006:
Agreement reached with Auckland War Memorial Museum to receive the archive
and host the website for integration with “Cenotaph”.

August 2006:
Support of The Hon. Peter Dunne, Leader of United Future Party.

July 2006:
Support from the Green Party, via Mr Keith Locke MP.

July 2006:
Support from Lt Gen Mataparae, Chief of Defence Force.

June 2006:
Support from Mr Rodney Hide MP, leader of the ACT Party

May 2006:
Grant of $5000 from the “Year of the Veteran” fund, Dept of Veterans Affairs.

March 2006:
Incorporation of New Zealand War Graves Trust.

February 2006:
Support from Dr Don Brash, Leader of the National Party.

January 2006:
Terry Snow & Simon Wei join project

December 2005:
Initial meetings with Mr Bruce Ralston, Auckland War Memorial Museum re integration with “Cenotaph”.

September 2005:
Support from Mr Don McKinnon, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

July 2005:
Obtained list of casualties from Ministry – research grave locations etc.

July 2005:
Support from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

May 2005:
Support of the AGM of The RNZRSA for the project.

Summer 2005:
Presentation to Auckland Regional Meeting of RSA – Support of Auckland Region – introduction to John Campbell, National President.

Summer 2005:
Meeting with RNZRSA National President John Campbell and Dr Stephen Clarke (historian RNZRSA).

Summer 2005:
Photographs for booklet from Hillsborough, Tauranga, Waikumete cemeteries, etc and design of first booklet.

Late 2004:
Meeting with The Hon. Judith Tizard, for advice on how to proceed project.

Late 2004:
Derrick Bunn joins project

Early 2004:
Beginnings of the project - playing with ideas.