Last Monday night we welcomed more than 500 guests to Wellington’s historic Town Hall to celebrate both the 236^th Independence Day of the United States of America and the 70^th anniversary of the arrival of American armed forces to help defend New Zealand and repel the invaders after the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific. It was a wonderful evening filled with music, conversation, dance, shared memories, and warm appreciation for ongoing friendship and collaboration.

Guests arriving at Town Hall.

Because the reception was scheduled for the eve of the precise day that American forces first landed at Waitemata harbor in Auckland 70 years ago, we themed the event for June 1942. The hall was decorated with huge posters of American servicemen and the Kiwis who welcomed them, as well as an actual 1940′s American jeep parked in the middle of the floor for guests to inspect or climb into for photographs.

A video reel comprising movie clips, news footage, cabaret footage, photographs, and music from June 1942 played on a big screen above the stage throughout the evening. A troupe from the New Zealand School of Dance performed an excerpt from Paul Taylor’s Company B in period dress.  And, in a highlight of the evening, the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band took the stage to play big band classics including Benny Goodman’s Sing Sing Sing and Glenn Miller’s In the Mood and Pennsylvania 6-5000.

The U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band, under an image of forebears playing in Majestic Cabaret in Wellington in 1942.

Our guests included friends from academic, NGO, cultural, faith, business, medical, legal, media, and diplomatic circles as well as a large number of students and military veterans. I had a bit of difficulty navigating the crowd, but I saw Te Papa CEO Michael Houlihan, composer/performer Gareth Farr, philanthropist David Carson-Parker, music archaeologist Jeremy Commons, Opera Chair David Gascoigne, Film Commission Chair Patsy Reddy,  Royal NZ Ballet GM Amanda Skoog, Portrait Gallery Director Avenal McKinnon, political tweeps David Farrar and Jordan Carter, Federated Farmers CEO Connor English, Recording Industry Association of NZ CEO Chris Caddick, breakfast impresario Peter Cullen, Chris Laidlaw of Radio NZ, and dancer (and famous mum) Deirdre Tarrant, among others.

From the public service sector, attendees included Speaker of the House Dr. Rt. Hon. Lockwood Smith, Minister Gerry Brownlee, Minister Judith Collins, Minister Paula Bennett, Minister Murray McCully, Minister Dr. Jonathan Coleman, Minister Chris Tremain, Minister Jo Goodhew, NZ First Leader Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan, Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace, Carterton Mayor Ron Mark, Wellington Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon, and a couple dozen Members of Parliament from the Labour, Green, New Zealand First, and National parties. Also well represented were the various branches of the NZ Defence Force and retired public servants including my good friend the Hon. Robert Talbot.

A view of the proceedings from back stage.

Conversation and good cheer were facilitated by a selection of fine California wines and four whiskey tasting stations featuring the libations of Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and McKenna (from straight bourbon to unique kiwi-lime whiskey cocktails, as one wished). For the designated drivers there were Coca Cola products. Food included rice paper rolls with soy lime dip, honey & hazelnut pumpkin bites, duck confit pancakes, Hawkes Bay lamb on candied tomato, and other American and Kiwi favorites.

After an hour of mingling and conversation the formal program started with the presentation of the colors by a detachment of U.S. Marines, followed by the two national anthems.  The Star-Spangled Banner was sung by U.S. Marine CWO3 Michael J. Smith, accompanied by the Marine Band. God Defend New Zealand was sung by Royal New Zealand Air Force Sgt. Allan Wright, also accompanied by the Marine Band.

U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard launches the formal program.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully and I then offered remarks on the long history of service, sacrifice, and friendship shared by our two countries. The highlight of the Minister’s speech was a pithy review of the deepening and broadening of the already strong bilateral relationship over the past several years. For my part, I was pleased to share a quote that I think perfectly sums up the events we were commemorating. As the great American philosopher Oprah Winfrey said, “Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

As usual, Oprah nailed it. The essence of friendship isn’t trade, or commerce, or an unrealistic desire for perpetual harmony. There aren’t epic poems or requiem masses written to Gross Domestic Product, and even the best of friends and closest of spouses disagree with great regularity, and often vehemence. It’s only natural. The marks of true friendship are shared core values … common aspirations … and jumping to help each other when the need — and cost — is greatest.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully speaking on behalf of the Government.

To return to Oprah’s rubric, in the first half of 1942 the limo didn’t just break down. It was bombed to bits, as was the bus. So Kiwis and Americans walked shoulder-to-shoulder into hell to try to sort things out and help others … because that’s what Kiwis and Americans do. The sentiment might seem quaint to some these days, but great generations take responsibility and act. Even when doing so is uncomfortable, dangerous, costly, or unpopular.

For that reason, the emotional highpoint of the evening was when the Minister and I welcomed onto the stage to join us in the traditional national day toast two very special guests, World War II veterans Claude Bohn and Bruce Cunningham. The two servicemen climbed to the stage to loud applause, with photos of themselves taken in 1942 projected on the huge screen behind them.

U.S. Marine veteran Claude Bohn and R.A.F. veteran Bruce Cunningham being acknowledged for their WWII service.

Mr. Bohn is a U.S. Marine who fought as a machine gunner at Guadalcanal and then later at the Battle of Okinawa. He was last in New Zealand in 1943 when he was convalescing in Wellington after being wounded in combat in the South Pacific. He traveled from his home in the United States in order to attend the 70th anniversary, and he spent a busy week at commemorations in Kapiti and Wellington, including last week’s sunset ceremony and reception at Parliament.

Mr. Cunningham is a Lancaster bomber pilot who served with Number Three Group, RAF Bomber Command, based near Cambridge, England. He flew numerous missions at the height of the war in Europe. In 1944 he was shot down over Belgium, captured by the Germans, and sent to a POW camp. After two unsuccessful attempts, he finally escaped and was able to make his way across Europe to return to England. Mr. Cunningham also attended other commemorative events in the Wellington area last week.

U.S. World War II veteran Wayne Harter with author Joan Ellis.

As is customary, the official proceedings concluded with toasts to the People and leaders of our two countries. After the toasts, a troupe from the New Zealand School of Dance entertained guests with a vintage dance performed to the Andrew Sisters’ Rum and Coca-Cola.

The Marine maestro then struck up the Band to play additional selections popular in 1942. Some folks danced, and others continued to mingle and chat. To the bemused consternation of our venue hosts, the party ran almost 2 hours past the intended end time. Which I think is the best sign of a great evening.

Performers from the NZ School of Dance entertain guests.

A lot of hard work and effort went into planning and executing the event. I have sent the appropriate thank-you notes to those involved, but I would like to express special thanks here to our key sponsors and partners without whom the evening would not have been possible …

… Boeing Australia & South Pacific, Christchurch Engine Centre (Pratt & Whitney), Cubic Defence NZ, GE Corporate, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft New Zealand Limited, Motion Picture Association of America, NZFACT, UPS (United Parcel Service), Ceres New Zealand, MagTek, Visa, Distilled Spirits Association of New Zealand (and its CEO Thomas Chin), and of course our friends from Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and McKenna.

Putting guests In The Mood.

Monday was not a one-off event. Dr WcWaine and I have spent the past week on tour with the Marine Band, stopping for formal concerts and spontaneous RSA, pub, and community jam sessions in Paraparaumu, Paekakariki, Poirirua, Kapiti, Carterton, Masterton, Waiouru, Ngaruawahia, and elsewhere.

The tour is intended not only to commemorate the events of 70 years ago but to thank Kiwis for the hospitality, generosity, and warmth with which they received our countrymen and women in the 1940′s. That’s why our schedule is heavily weighted toward towns and districts where American camps were located.

The Laurie Paddi dance band plays at Majestic Cabaret in Wellington in June 1942.

American servicemen and their dates in Majestic Cabaret in 1942 Wellington.

We stopped yesterday evening for a concert at Turangawaewae to thank Kingi Tuheitia, Te Atawhai, and the iwi of Tainui for the extraordinary kindness shown to American servicemen and women by Kingi Korokī and Princess Te Puea Herangi during the war. After the concert Kingi Tuheitia and Te Atawhai honored the full Marine Band with an invitation into the Mahinarangi meeting house for a group photograph.

We have now arrived in Auckland, and I just introduced the Band to more than 1,000 music lovers at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna Beach. Once this concert is over, I’ll head back across the bridge to prepare for tonight’s Independence Day celebration at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. It should be another great evening. Then we pack our bags again and head to Christchurch for concerts and a reception later in the week.

See you soon, somewhere around the country.

This morning a National Commemoration ceremony was held at the National War Memorial on Buckle Street to mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival of U.S. Marines in New Zealand during World War II. At the proceedings the Governor-General, His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Honorable Sir Jerry Mateparae, read an entry from the diary of U.S. Marine Private Bob Hatch. Penned 70 years ago today, the entry recounts young Private Hatch’s his first day in Wellington after stepping off the USS Wakefield :

*  *  *

“Most of us had heard the scuttlebutt and had a fair idea where we were going … New Zealand.  Of course we weren’t sure until we actually tied up to the wharf.  Tying up didn’t take long but there was no liberty.  In fact, we could not even get off the ship.  So there we were as usual, just standing around.

“We were awful sick of the sea so dry land was sure good to look at.  It reminded me of southern California with the mountains meeting the sea.  It made some of us a little bit homesick too.  It looked like a friendly country; there was a band down on the dock to meet us.  We’d seen their blue uniforms around some of our flying fields in the States so we knew it was the band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

USS Wakefield arrives at King’s Wharf on June 14, 1942.

“At last we got a break – ‘all shore’.  Boy did real solid land feel good.  You can beat your bottom dollar it did.  War or no war we must have music, and our band was amongst the first ashore.  Officers and men, we all in the same boat or rather getting off the same boat, and all curious to see what kind of advanced base we had come to.  We had a lot of queer ideas as to what New Zealand would be like.

“Imagine our surprise when a milk wagon came around.  We hadn’t tasted fresh milk since we left the States.  Boy did it taste good.  It wasn’t long before our Sergeant was bellowing, ‘Fall in’, and we were off again, without even getting a good look at town.  We were heading for the railroad station.

US Marines in transit to Paekakariki by train after landing in Wellington.

“These New Zealanders certainly did things right.  When we got off the train there was a band again and we started our march to camp just like a big parade.  We were out in the country but of course the usual kids were present to look us over and yell a few words of welcome.  It was sort of nice too.  Soon we were into camp.  Yup, and old glory was there too, flying proudly overhead.  I guess there isn’t anything any of us wouldn’t do to keep it flying.”

*  *  *

Poignant in their simplicity, those were the words of an “ordinary” young man called upon to do extraordinary things halfway around the world from home. Shortly after arriving in New Zealand Private Hatch shipped out to combat in the South Pacific, where he was wounded.

In attendance at this morning’s ceremony in addition to the Governor-General were Prime Minister John Key, Leader of the Opposition David Shearer, Minister of Defence Dr. Jonathan Coleman, Secretary of Defence John McKinnon, Chief of the Defence Force Lt. General Rhys Jones, Chair of the Greater Wellington Regional Council Fran Wilde, Mayor of Kapiti Jenny Rowan, Deputy Mayor of Wellington Ian McKinnon, and other dignitaries.

I represented the United States along with Lieutenant General Duane D. Thiessen (Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific), Major General Ronald Bailey (Commanding Officer of 1st Marine Division, the Division that landed in Wellington 70 years ago today), and World War II veteran Claude Bohn.

U.S. Marines from New Zealand storm ashore at Guadalcanal in the first Allied counter-offensive of the Pacific war. More than 7,000 Marines died there.

As always at memorials, I found particularly moving the recitation of The Ode, adapted from the fourth stanza of Lawrence Binyon’s poem, ”For the Fallen”:

E kore ratou e koroheketia
Penei i a tatou kua mahue nei
E kore hoki ratou e ngoikore
Ahakoa pehea i nga ahuatanga o te wa.
I te hekenga atu o te ra
Tae noa ki te aranga mai i te ata
Ka maumahara tonu tatou ki a ratou.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The establishment of formal N.Z.-U.S. diplomatic relations and the arrival of American military forces in Aotearoa in 1942 were events of great historical significance that helped transform the region, but they were also very personal events that directly touched the lives of millions of people.

My colleague Laura is a research whiz who has devoted a great deal of time and effort to giving our 70^th anniversary celebrations this year the authentic, human context that they deserve. Since she’s the expert, I’ve asked Laura to talk today a bit about 1942. Take it away, Laura.

*   *   *

LM: Thank you, Ambassador. I’m going to paint you a picture.

It’s 1942. Mrs. Miniver has won best picture at the 14^th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Glenn Miller rules the charts with “String of Pearls,” “Midnight Cocktail,” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” a gold disc winning single selling 1 million copies. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series. ‘Archie’ comic books make their debut. Casablanca will be released later in the year and earn an iconic place in cinematic history.

Against this backdrop of cultural milestones, the world is at war. The United States has just entered the conflict following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and now there are American troops far from home in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. Rationing has been instituted by the Office of Price Administration and all are encouraged to “make do with less.”

Voice of America’s William Harlan Hale begins his broadcasts across the world. Rosie the Riveter is encouraging women to join the war effort:

 All the day long,
Whether rain or shine,
She’s part of the assembly line.
She’s making history,
Working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter.

Approximately 6,882 miles from California, on June 12, 1942, U.S. Navy Cruiser USS San Francisco escorts the USS Uruguay, Santa Clara, Tasker, M. Bliss, and the James Parker on a grey winter’s day. A U.S. Navy Destroyer, USS Farragut, follows behind carrying troops from the 37th U.S. Army Division. The ships pull into Waitemata Harbour in a country called New Zealand.

Two days later, on June 14, 1942, USS Wakefield docks at King’s Wharf in Wellington, along with USS West Point which is about to head back to San Francisco after a brief stop in Australia. USS Wakefield is an impressive sight. A former transatlantic liner, weighing in at 24,000 tons, the Wakefield unloads the 1^st Marine Division and Major General Alexander Vandergrift. After this, to paraphrase historian Harry Bioletti, New Zealand is never quite same again.

Not all of the men and women on board these ships know where they’ve arrived, many asking, “What town, where are we?”  They do know they’re here for a very important reason.  And this will not be their final destination.  Many are destined to enter the Pacific theater of war in active combat. Some will never return home from the shores of places like Tarawa, Guadalcanal, and Midway.

U.S. Marines march down Queen Street in Auckland, June 1942.

The 2nd Marine Corps Division will pass their time practicing drills on the Kapiti Coast of Wellington. In Warkworth, north of Auckland, U.S. servicemen of the 3rd Marine Corps Division and the 25th and 43rd Divisions of the U.S. Army will do the same on Omaha Beach (not to be confused with Omaha beach in Normandy). 

The 15,000 – 45,000 U.S. service men and women stationed in New Zealand at any one time — a total of more than 150,000 over the course of the war — will bring with them new music, new dances, other new cultural phenomena, new ideas, and silk stockings.

Some will fall in love. There will be tiffs and a few fights, as there always are between friends. Cocktails, cigarettes, and chewing gum will become hot commodities. Milk bars and dry cleaners will become the rage. During their deployment in New Zealand these men and women will be welcomed into Kiwi homes, churches, public establishments, maraes, farms, and, best and most important of all, Kiwi hearts.

A party for several Marines hosted by the Lipshams of Manurewa, one of the many New Zealand families who opened their homes to U.S. service personnel.

A booklet entitled Meet New Zealand,  produced by the Historical Branch of the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs in September 1942 for United States servicemen stationed here, very presciently says:

“Welcome! When we say it we mean it. Those of us who have met Americans before have liked them (or most of them), and we hope you Americans will like us (or most of us).”

I think this really says it all. Friendships are always initially forged in uncertainty. While Americans and New Zealanders occasionally met and liked each other (or sometimes not) before 1942, this large-scale cultural exchange wrought an indelible change in the relationship. In 1945 when the majority of U.S. service personnel had departed these shores, neither the departees nor those remaining were the same as before.

American Servicemen enjoying a dance at the Majestic Cabaret in Wellington.

We knew each other better. Mostly, we liked each other. A lot. We’d shared a common experience and through it found we were very much alike in all the ways that matter. We’d taught each other things. Shared cultures, ideas, drinks.  Out of these common experiences grew a bond which we still share today … a bond which has survived its share of bumps in the road, a true test of its strength.

*   *   *

Laura, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about 1942 and its important place in our shared history.

In collaboration with the New Zealand Defence Force, Archives New Zealand, Auckland War Memorial Museum, and educational resource platform eTV, the Embassy is launching a video history competition for secondary school students to commemorate events in 1942 that changed the world.

U.S. Army troop ships began arriving in Auckland on June 12^th, 1942, and the Marines landed in Wellington on June 14^th, as American forces deployed to help deter an invasion of Aotearoa by Imperial Japanese forces sweeping southward through the Pacific. The Americans then staged from New Zealand with our allies in a series of battles that changed the course of the war, including at Tarawa and Guadalcanal.

The U.S. 1st Marine Division arrives in Wellington aboard the U.S.S. Wakefield on 14 June 1942.

The video competition, called “Making History,” invites young Kiwis to preserve the memories of their grandparents’ generation by making short videos that tell local stories about the presence in New Zealand of tens of thousands of American Army troops, Marines, and sailors during World War II.

This year’s 70^th anniversary of the arrival of American forces is an important opportunity to thank and remember all who served during those uncertain, dark days – Kiwi and American, military and civilian alike. It is essential that we do so while we can. As the World War II generation passes, personal memories of the great sacrifices and achievements of that era will pass with those men and women.

U.S. Marines at Oriental Bay.

History is not a clinical exercise reserved to elites. It’s a living, breathing, very personal story. Young people have an important role to play in preserving history, gathering stories before they are lost.

In fact, curious students can be particularly effective historians. Their (your) fresh eyes and evolving minds are drawn to overlooked details, eclectic nuances, and emotive content. They (you) have accreted fewer preconceptions and orthodoxies, and thus can often see the past through a clearer lens.

U.S. Army Camp Hale takes shape on the lawn of Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Contest rules and regulations? Only a few, and very straightforward:

The competition is open to all secondary school students here in New Zealand. Video entries must be documented and researched, and should be no more than 3 (three) minutes in length. Submissions should be uploaded directly onto the Making History contest website by 11:59pm on Sunday, June 3^rd.

Entries can take the form of an interview with relatives or neighbors who remember the arrival or presence of U.S. military forces during the war; or digitization of family or community photos or other historical documents from the era; or a video tour of a local school or hospital built by U.S. forces; or a tour of places where soldiers lived or played; or any combination of the above.

U.S. Marines on a Wellington train.

Entries will be judged on (1) how well they capture the flavor of the War World II era in New Zealand, and (2) how well they combine original research and other new materials with the historical resources available via the eTV Making History website.

The website makes available for students’ use a unique library of film footage, still images, interviews, and other content specially provided by Archives New Zealand, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Te Papa, Kapiti U.S. Marines Trust, Auckland City Libraries, and others. The new cyber library is an exciting tool for budding documentary filmmakers, young historians, and indeed any student with an interest in history.

Exhausted American troops at Pukekohe.

Further details are available on the Making History website. The information that I shared above, though, is pretty much it in terms of major rules, regulations, and guidance. The goal is to unleash rather than constrain. If you still have a question after looking at the website, let me know.

Once the contest closes, a blue-ribbon panel will make its selections, and winners will be acknowledged at a prize-giving ceremony in mid June featuring a public performance by the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band.

On parade in Wellington.

Prizes will include a visit to a New Zealand Defence Force base or ship, special behind-the scenes-tours of Auckland Museum and Te Papa collections, and a day’s mentoring by a professional documentary film maker, each at a time convenient to the parties involved.

Thank you to our institutional partners for being so generous with their materials and resources. I have always enjoyed rummaging through archives, warehouses, basements, attics, and garages in search of treasure, and there is quite an impressive trove awaiting students who enter the competition. I look forward to viewing the videos that you create.