This review focuses on the strongest themes that defined Online Cenotaph throughout the year. It traces how the record was strengthened, how community stories were shared, how digital foundations were prepared for renewal, and how Online Cenotaph continued to serve as a trusted place for remembrance and research. 

Our kaupapa was supported by volunteers, whānau, researchers, veterans, digital contributors, and colleagues from across the world. Their combined efforts ensured that Online Cenotaph continued to grow as a place of remembrance. 

Strengthening the record: Research and data enrichment 

Record enhancement remained one of the most significant areas of work during 2025. This careful and detailed mahi strengthens trust in Online Cenotaph for whānau and for researchers who rely on the accuracy of the database. 

Prisoner of war histories 

POW projects grew in scale and depth this year. World War I statements held at Archives New Zealand were summarised and added to 136 records. These summaries provide context on capture, internment, medical treatment, and repatriation. 

For World War II, more than 1,800 letters from The New Zealand Prisoner of War Pamphlet were matched to 980 Online Cenotaph records. These letters cover a wide range of POW camps, hospitals, and labour sites across Europe, North Africa, and East Asia. The work was made possible by the transcription efforts of volunteer Marguerite Durling who worked steadily through the series. Together, these projects have made POW histories easier to locate and have brought important details of their lived experiences to light. Each letter has been added to their relevant Online Cenotaph record, and you can also view the full pamphlet on our website.  

Pacific and Air Force histories 

Work on Pacific service remained a strong focus. Records for 560 Cook Islands service personnel from World War I were updated using new information from researcher Cate Walker and the Cook Islands Online Cenotaph. This work improves accuracy for a group whose contribution is central to Aotearoa New Zealand’s military history yet still underrepresented in many reference sources. 

Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) projects also continued throughout the year. The team created or enriched more than 718 records by matching content from Contact: National magazine of the RNZAF to Online Cenotaph. Later in the year, the 30 Squadron project added 447 enriched records, supported by the research of the late Wally Ingham and aviation historian Dave Homewood. Together, these projects strengthened the record of New Zealand Air Force service in the Pacific. 

War History object linking 

Work linking object records to Online Cenotaph reached a significant milestone in 2025. More than 4,000 War History object records were associated with 761 Online Cenotaph records. These links allow visitors to see medals, uniforms other collection items directly from a serviceperson’s page. The associations make it easier for whānau and researchers to move between biographies and the 3D taonga and objects held in the Museum. 

A clear example is the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) awarded to Jean Rewa Begg, held in the Museum’s collection (2004.105.2). Begg served as Director of British YWCA war services during World War II and later supported women’s services across the Middle East, South-East Asia, China, and Japan. Her record now connects her biography with the taonga that represent her public life.

Memorials and regional histories 

Memorial connections also expanded. New memorials added this year include Towai, Pōkeno, Mercer, Huntly, Tarras, Onehunga, and the Kiripaka Bridge. Across these additions, more than 880 named service people are now linked to Online Cenotaph records. 

Matthew Nickless’ blog Memorials and Memory provided a thoughtful overview of how war memorials have shifted over time, and how Online Cenotaph helps to reconnect names with fuller stories. The piece considers personal remembrance, civic ritual, and the ongoing work required to address omissions and errors. 

User contributions 

Contributors added photographs that had been kept in family albums, messages of remembrance, newspaper references, and links to related archival material. Each contribution adds another layer to a serviceperson’s record and reflects the trust that communities place in Online Cenotaph. 

A few examples from this year illustrate the range of material submitted: 

A direct descendant added a message for George Dawson Alick Ward, writing of the sense of connection she feels to a grandfather she never met, and the pride she carries in passing his name to the next generation. 

Researcher Lorraine Mona James provided material for thousands of records, including a detailed obituary for Eketu Ngahuruhuru, adding iwi history, sporting achievements, and community leadership. 

A great granddaughter of Athol Henry Forsyth contributed a message written for future generations, emphasising the responsibility of passing service stories forward. 

Contributors added images for personnel across the twentieth century, including Elizabeth Dolly Mariu Hata Horua Karaka, George Stanley Hudson, Ralston John Bethune, Justin Alfred Pescini, Leslie Raymond Shaw, and Iris June Worms, preserving photographs that might otherwise never have entered the public record. 

These examples represent only a small part of the wider contribution made by communities this year. Online Cenotaph continues to be shaped by the people who use it, and by whānau who choose to share their histories with Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Ngā mihi nui ki ngā kaituku kōrero katoa. 

Publications, blogs, and storytelling 

Twelve major Cenotaph Stories were published this year. They span different conflicts, communities, and forms of service. The following themes provide a selective overview. 

Identity, whānau memory, and cultural continuity 

Two pieces focused strongly on identity and intergenerational connection. 

Upholding Māoritanga: Māori POWs in WWII offers accounts of waiata, rugby, leadership, and community in captivity. The story examines how Māori prisoners maintained cultural practices and collective strength in very challenging circumstances. 

Medals returned home: The Blanks family  follows the return of Alfred Darwin Blanks’ medals after many years overseas. Written with whānau, the piece illustrates the emotional significance of taonga and the way that Anzac commemorations continue to surface family stories. 

Service in the Pacific and at sea 

Several stories explored service at sea and in the air. 

Dick Owen and the Arctic Convoys and Ehoes across the waves: The Wally Ware story  both examine naval service, Dick's story reflecting on conditions in the Arctic and Wally's across convoy routes. They highlight the dangers of these journeys, as well as enduring bonds within crews and families.

Eyes in the Sky: New Zealanders in the Photographic Reconnaissance Units focuses on aerial reconnaissance in the Pacific during World War II. The article highlights crews who flew deep into enemy territory without defensive armaments and shows how their images shaped operational decisions and postwar understanding. 

Performance, creativity, and wartime morale 

Two linked pieces by Sophie Elborough and Victoria Passau examined performance traditions in wartime.

Female impersonation in WWI and Female impersonation in WWII and beyond explore troopship concerts, the Digger Pierrots, the Kiwi Concert Party, and performances in POW camps. Together they examine the role of humour, music, and gendered performance in sustaining morale. The research prompted updates to dozens of Kiwi Concert Party records and drew strong interest from readers. 

John Bethune McCaw: Artist-technician profiles the RNZAF veteran whose later career as artist technician at Auckland Museum shaped travelling dioramas and education cases across Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. The story brings together military service, museum practice, and public engagement with collections. 

Memory, place, and postwar service 

The theme of care and remembrance was also prominent. 

Matt Nickless’ article Leave No One Behind: Walter von Schramm and the Graves Registration Unit reflects on the work involved in wartime burial, identification, and postwar return. It considers both the logistical and emotional aspects of graves registration and highlights the long-term impact of this work on families and communities. 

Taken together, the year’s stories form a strong thematic arc. They connect cultural identity, whānau history, performance, memory, and different forms of service, while drawing on archival material and community knowledge. 

Anzac period and wider outreach 

Anzac Day 2025 

A new outreach video was produced in response to a request from organisers of a community-led Anzac commemoration in Reporoa. The video introduces Online Cenotaph and shows how whānau can contribute their own stories and photographs. It has since been added to the “How to contribute” page.

The April episode of The Amp focused on Anzac Day at Auckland Museum. Hosted by Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager, Victoria Passau, the episode gives a behind the scenes glimpse into how the Museum prepares for the day, the work of volunteers and visitor hosts, and the different ways people choose to remember. 

Stories connected with Online Cenotaph also appeared in national media, including a New Zealand Herald article that corrected a longstanding error on the Rangiora War Memorial and an RNZ story in which Margaret Clifford (later Hooton) was able to hear a wartime recording of her father’s voice.  

Wider outreach and engagement 

Throughout the year, Online Cenotaph supported a range of public and sector engagements. Presentations were delivered to the New Zealand Society of Genealogists and at the Auckland Family History Expo.

The episode Defining Diva on The Amp invited staff, including members of the Online Cenotaph and Research Library team, to surface divas whose influence has often sat outside the spotlight. The accompanying Cenotaph Story From Hastings to Hollywood: Nola Luxford traces actor and broadcaster Nola Luxford’s journey from Rangitīkei and Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland to Hollywood and New York, then highlights her creation of the New York Anzac Club and her long record of advocacy and fundraising for servicemen. 

Pou Maumahara and volunteer mahi 

Return to Pou Maumahara 

Pou Maumahara reopened in mid-October after building-related closures earlier in the year. Volunteers returned to their onsite roles and reconnected with visitors, supporting research enquiries and commemorative projects. The reopening restored an important point of contact for whānau and researchers who prefer in-person support. 

Volunteer contributions 

Volunteer mahi continued to anchor the programme throughout the year. Work ranged from detailed transcription to memorial research and face to face support. In Pou Maumahara Liz, Marion, Judy, Garry, Allan and Roger continued to provide excellent manaakitanga and research support to our onsite manuhiri. 

Liz completed several Archives New Zealand matching and identification projects relating to the Women’s War Service Auxiliary, including Hospital Division, Signals Units, and Artillery Units. Her work has strengthened the record for women’s service in these areas. 

Volunteers such as Marguerite and Stella provided critical transcription support for World War II POW material. Their efforts made it possible to match letters to nearly one thousand Online Cenotaph records and to draw out the stories contained within them. 

Volunteers also contributed to memorial documentation and to the Auckland Weekly News project, helping to identify service personnel pictured in historic images. The Chronicles of the NZEF transcription has continued on, and we hope to be able to add more than 60,000 pieces of data relating to medical treatment during WWI in the next few years.

Although this review focuses on the 2025 calendar year, it is important to acknowledge one publication that arrived toward the end of 2024. The Museum's newly relaunched Papahou: Records of the Auckland Museum published “Connecting past and present: The role of digital volunteers in Online Cenotaph” written by Victoria Passau (Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager). 

The article placed a spotlight on a decade of digital transcription and data enrichment, and on the staff and volunteers who have driven that work from home and from within the Museum. Many of the larger projects that progressed in 2025, including work on prisoner of war (POW) questionnaires, photographic reconnaissance units, and memorial linkages, rested on this earlier foundation. The article reinforced some of the values that remained central in 2025, including whakapapa research, community connection, and collective memory. 

Across 2025, volunteer hours were equivalent to more than one and a half full time staff positions. This level of support has a direct and tangible impact on what Online Cenotaph is able to achieve. 

Digital futures: Strengthening core systems 

In parallel with content and engagement work, 2025 also saw major progress in planning for the renewal of the Museum’s digital infrastructure. 

In November, Auckland Museum received $200,000 from the Lottery Environment and Heritage Fund to support the first phase of redevelopment. This phase focuses on replacing the current Application Programme Interface, which sits at the core of how data moves from our collection management system to the public website. 

Although this work is largely invisible to users, it is foundational. It supports search accuracy, system reliability, and security, and it will shape how people access Online Cenotaph and Collections Online in the years ahead. 

Looking ahead 

Online Cenotaph grew in depth and reach during 2025. The year’s themes show a platform anchored in memory, supported by communities, and prepared for future investment. 

Priorities for 2026 will include continued strengthening of digital infrastructure, further enrichment of records across different conflicts and services, and ongoing work with iwi and community partners. There will also be a focus on volunteer support and training, and on improving access to collections through the redevelopment programme. The strength of Online Cenotaph comes from the people who contribute to it and from the communities who trust it as a place of remembrance. Their efforts ensure that the service and sacrifice of Aotearoa New Zealand’s military personnel remain visible and connected to the generations who follow. 

Ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa, 

The Online Cenotaph Team