Online Cenotaph

Prompted by a son's search to better understand his father, this article traces the life of Spencer George Smith, a Merchant Navy engineer who served on wartime convoys. He survived a torpedo attack and sinking, returned to New Zealand after World War II, and died young in 1954, leaving a record shaped by service and family recollection.

In 2009, Noelene Hughes travelled with her whānau from Australia to Gallipoli and Lemnos to fulfil a vow to visit the grave of her uncle, Private Pareiha Tuati (David Apanui Stewart). Their journey reconnects whakapapa, wartime diaries, and family memory, honouring the Stewart brothers and their enduring legacy across generations.

Written to accompany a photograph by Laurence Aberhart, Martin Edmond’s essay reflects on the Hall of Memories at Waitaki Boys’ High School as both a working school space and war memorial. The image, gifted by the Waitaki Old Boys to Auckland Museum, reinforces the Hall as a place where memory endures in the absence of those commemorated.

Wikitoria Te Huruhuru Whatu (1912–2006) of Ngāti Toarangatira was the first Māori Red Cross WAAC member to serve overseas during World War II. Serving in the Middle East and Europe, she cared for wounded soldiers, especially the 28 Māori Battalion. After the war she continued community welfare work and was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal. In collaboration with Wikitoria’s whanau, and drawing on letters, diaries, and family memories, we share her story in honour of International Women’s Day 2026.