For New Zealand and Sāmoa the First World War began in August 1914, when a New Zealand Expeditionary Force party landed in Apia and claimed the islands from Germany. Just over a century later, a shipping container and two Auckland Museum staff arrived in Apia – this time to work with the Museum of Sāmoa to tell the stories of this 'entangled' relationship.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum exhibition, Entangled Islands: Sāmoa, New Zealand and the First World War, was the first in a series of exhibitions commemorating the centenary. Recognising the importance of this shared history, Auckland Museum gifted the exhibition to the Museum of Sāmoa. Project manager Tanya Wilkinson travelled to Apia to help set up the exhibition in its new home. This is her final post in a series from Sāmoa.

The opening event

Although many visitors have popped into the exhibition as we have been setting up, Entangled Islands officially opened at the Museum of Sāmoa on Monday evening.

The speakers included the Acting New Zealand High Commissioner Roger Cornforth, the Deputy Prime Minister of Sāmoa Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo and the Auckland Museum Director Roy Clare, who travelled from New Zealand for the event.

Following the formal part of the evening, the guests were invited upstairs to view the exhibition. The whole evening was very warm and positive, and seemed a fitting and appropriate way to launch the exhibition.

A special guest at the opening event was Siliga David Setoga. He is featured in the exhibition talking about the influence of the orator chief and prominent leader of the Mau a Pule, Lauaki Namulau'ulu Māmoe. Setoga designed a t-shirt as a tribute to Lauaki, which features in the exhibition.

Setoga is currently in Sāmoa as part of a three-month artist residency exploring cultural identity, offered by Creative New Zealand and the University of Sāmoa.

A lasting connection

Lots of ideas were flowing about other projects that could be developed to foster the connections between the two museums.

There is a great deal of interest - from the Museum staff, New Zealand Embassy staff and members of the public - about the objects in Auckland Museum that have links to Sāmoa. It was good to be able to tell people they can search our collection on the Auckland Museum website, and this is available right now.

Saying goodbye

It feels good to have been able to give the exhibition another 'life' in a new venue, and extend all the hard work that went into putting the original show together, especially in such an appropriate venue with such a receptive audience.

There have been lots of visitors through the exhibition already, and the common theme is how little people knew about the complexity of the relationship between our two countries.

When I called in for the last, last time (found it hard to say goodbye), there was a group of students from University of Auckland's School of Architecture intently soaking up the exhibition. Feels like a small world!