National War Memorial visitor numbers soar
In recent years there has been a growing interest in New Zealand's history, focussing on the great sacrifice made by our service men and women during times of war.
This trend is well illustrated by the massive increase in visitor numbers to the National War Memorial since the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in November last year.
Since November 2004 we have had almost 40,000 visitors to the National War Memorial, up from an annual total of 2,500 visitors previously.
Many of these people appear to have come on a personal pilgrimage of remembrance, made evident by the number of tributes placed on the tomb and the comments left in the visitors' book.
It is also encouraging to see the number of schools that are organising visits to the tomb. A comprehensive educational programme is currently being devised with the aim of including the tomb and memorial in the 2006 curriculum.
The tomb has also influenced ceremonial occasions at the war memorial such as Anzac Day. Guests now pay their respects to the Unknown Warrior, both prior to and at the conclusion of each ceremony.
Most visitors would agree that the tomb has had a significant impact on the war memorial and made it a far more meaningful place for the remembrance of the sacrifice made by New Zealanders in times of war.
See also: National War Memorial website