Online Cenotaph has have proudly collaborated with the New Zealand Institute of Photographers (NZIPP) to match portraits of New Zealand veterans to more than 1,600 Online Cenotaph records.  You can view these records on our NZIPP Popular Search . This taonga is shared here with you, for personal reference, using the Creative Common licence CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please note this project has now closed.

Tony Stewart, NZIPP Project Co-ordinator shares the story of how this important photographic project came about.

From dawn on the 25th April 2014, members of NZIPP (assisted by a handful of interested non members) set out to all areas of New Zealand to photograph known WWII veterans. On that day, and many months thereafter, NZIPP photographers travelled to remote parts of the country, creating portraits at local RSA’s, in family houses, and rest homes. In fact, anywhere that veterans could be found. The project grew, and word spread thanks to both the public and media interest. So much so, that photographs were taken for nearly three years after that initial ANZAC Day roll out. (It has since closed).

It is with immense pride that this collection has been gifted to the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association, & Auckland War Memorial Museum. Our wish is that these portraits, through exhibitions and installations, will immortalise the courageous contribution these people made for our country. Since initiating this project in 2014, we have lost many of the veterans featured in this collection, some only weeks after their portrait was taken. With ages well into the nineties, we realised we managed to pull off something pretty incredible - in the nick of time. For if left for even a few more years, we would not have access to this generation. 

This project has served many more people, in many more ways than we ever envisaged. Some of our most enthusiastic project photographers have been our younger members, born to a generation not knowing the sacrifice that their (great) grandparents made. The bond these members shared with veterans was especially tender. It has brought communities together. It has given pride to many families, seeing their fathers, mothers, and grandparents stand proud in old age. In some cases this was very literal, when some veterans could stand only briefly, with their medals proudly clasped, before retiring back to their hospital bed, withered with the ravishes of old age. 

It has reached out to some people in their final years, who have otherwise been forgotten, or had distanced themselves from any traditional reflection of service. Especially pertinent for one veteran I met, whose service record with ‘Z Force’ in the Pacific was embargoed until very recent time. Such secrecy denied him many years of fellowship with fellow veterans, who never even knew he served overseas.

While many people have been part of this project, we would like to especially acknowledge Anthony McKee for first implementing the project roll out, as well as Terry Wreford-Hann for overseeing the next stage. Regional Chairpeople from each NZIPP region dutifully managed an army of photographers. The massive task of centralised post production lay with Stephen Goodenough, who diligently assembled the entire collection you see here. Stephen was dutifully aided by Richard Linton and Kate Christie in the equally massive task of collating courtesy prints that were posted to each veteran. In addition we would like to thank Kaye Farmer and David Moger from the RNZRSA at the time of the project, and all local RSA’s for their immense help in communicating the project to WWII veterans. Most of all, we would like to thank our contributing photographers, all 116 of them. They are a passionate and creative bunch, who care deeply about their community. Many have travelled long distances, and given up countless hours, without any more than a cup of tea, to produce the photographs you see here! A genuine spirit of giving has encompassed this entire project.

A project of this size has also only been possible with the help from the following sponsors: 

Queensberry Albums

Proof Book, web and printing services

C.R. Kennedy 

Presentation Folders 

Croxley & NZ Post Community Post 

Envelopes Postage

Results

Displaying 21 - 30 of 1779 records

Record ID	Photo	Family name	First names	Force	Wars	Service #		Preliminary
194885		Andersen	Euan	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ426258
194886		Anderson	Alan	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	433027
179190		Anderson	Alan Stuart	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	439504, 433027
145598		Anderson	Andrew John Raymond	Army	World War II, 1939-1945	17138
195397		Anderson	Bill	Merchant Navy	World War II, 1939-1945
90972		Anderson	David Allen	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	433215
194887		Anderson	Edwin Alexander	Navy	World War II, 1939-1945, Korean War, 1950-1953	10103, NZ10103
194888		Anderson	James	Army	Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960	22462555
103061		Anderson	Lynn Wilding	Army	World War II, 1939-1945	247364
171719		Anderson	Norman George	Army	World War II, 1939-1945	33623

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