A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event . Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as homes or other sites, or works of art such as sculptures , statues , fountains or parks . Larger memorials may be known as monuments .
43-587: The Abel Tasman Monument is a memorial to the first recorded contact between Europeans—led by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman —and Māori in New Zealand's Golden Bay on 18 and 19 December 1642. It was unveiled on the tercentenary of the encounter by the prime minister , several government ministers, and a Dutch delegation. The monument , originally referred to as the Abel Tasman Memorial ,
86-447: A cannon. The cannon frightened the Māori and they retreated to the shore. The next morning, on 19 December, several waka came out to the ships. When a boat transferred some Dutch sailors from one ship to the other, they were rammed by the Māori and attacked, and four sailors lost their life. Tasman ordered his ships to leave Golden Bay. They were followed by eleven waka, with a man standing in
129-603: A cliff top. Tasman left for Tonga without landing in New Zealand. Golden Bay Museum, located in Tākaka some 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the monument, has a permanent display covering Tasman's journey and a diorama showing the waka ramming the Dutch sailors' boat. Tasman's two ships had anchored some four kilometres (2.5 mi) north of the Tata Islands , which are located at the western side of Wainui Bay . The New Zealand Government had first considered arrangements for
172-729: A corporation with quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, negotiate treaties , and establish colonies. Tasman had 110 men under his command and was travelling with two ships, the Heemskerck and the Zeehaen . It is believed that the ships were off Punakaiki and if so, it was the Paparoa Range that they saw. On 18 December, they sailed around Farewell Spit (Tuhuroa) and into Golden Bay (Mohua), where they saw many fires on land. They anchored in Golden Bay for
215-760: A history of the department, The Mother of All Departments , the title of which reflects this status. The department's role has changed over time as new departments and ministries have been formed. The Colonial Secretary was the chief aide of the governor of New Zealand . Until 1848 his office dealt with all correspondence between the governor and his employees, and between officials and the public. Other early functions included inspecting sheep, running prisons, supervising government printing, licensing auctioneers, registering births, deaths and marriages, collecting statistics, and responsibility for gambling, fire brigades, constitutional matters (including running elections) and citizenship. Some of these functions are still duties of
258-405: A large waka holding a white flag. As the waka came closer, the sailors shot and killed the man. Tasman named Golden Bay Murderers ("Moordenaers") Bay and thus gave it its original European name. Tasman and his men sailed north. On 5 January, they attempted to land at Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands but were thwarted by a rocky shore, high surf, and several dozen Māori who threw stones at them from
301-434: A letter from a third party. Those under 16 need a guardian or parent to apply on their behalf. The Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationship Registration Act 2021 also added the option of a 'non-binary' marker for birth certificates, so non-binary individuals do not have to identify themselves as male or female. In mid-April 2024, the department experienced a backlog in processing New Zealand passport applications due to
344-581: A memorial gift (usually money) be given to a designated charity, or that a tree be planted in memory of the person. Those temporary or makeshift memorials are also called grassroots memorials. Sometimes, when a student has died, the memorials are placed in the form of a scholarship, to be awarded to high-achieving students in future years. Memorials to persons or events of major significance may be designated as national memorials . Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand) The Department of Internal Affairs ( DIA ) ( Māori : Te Tari Taiwhenua )
387-419: Is the gravestone or the memorial plaque . Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars. Memorials in the form of a cross are called intending crosses . Online memorials are often created on websites and social media to allow digital access as an alternative to physical memorials which may not be feasible or easily accessible. When somebody has died, the family may request that
430-402: Is the public service department of New Zealand charged with issuing passports ; administering applications for citizenship and lottery grants; enforcing censorship and gambling laws; registering births , deaths , marriages and civil unions ; supplying support services to ministers ; and advising the government on a range of relevant policies and issues. Other services provided by
473-525: The Department of Justice in 1950 before becoming an independent Electoral Commission in 2010. The Ministry of Industries and Commerce took over the statistics function in 1931; an independent Department of Statistics was created in 1957. The Department of Conservation was established in 1987 by merging the department's wildlife service with other smaller entities. The National Library of New Zealand and Archives New Zealand were separated from
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#1732802175894516-462: The Minister of Internal Affairs . The unveiling ceremony was held on 18 December 1942. The Dutch delegation was present and the government was represented by Peter Fraser in his role as Prime Minister , Parry as Minister of Internal Affairs, and Jim Barclay as Minister of Lands . The unveiling was performed by Julia Skinner, the wife of local Motueka electorate MP Jerry Skinner (who himself
559-460: The Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Access is via Abel Tasman Drive from Pōhara towards Tōtaranui . The monument is just past Port Tarakohe , with signs at a car park advising of the location. It takes a five-minute walk to get from the car park to the monument and, since the land is formally part of a national park, dogs are not permitted. Memorial The most common type of memorial
602-545: The 30-foot-high (9.1 m) concrete column would have to be manufactured with cement imported from the North Island as the Golden Bay Cement Company did not produce quick-drying cement. In the end, the cement of the Golden Bay Cement Company was used and given for the project as a gift. The Dutch East Indies sent a delegation of four men to New Zealand for the tercentenary. Charles van der Plas
645-577: The Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Act 2021 (BDMR) . As a result of this bill, on June 15, 2023, the ability of people to change their sex on their birth certificate changed. Previously people were required to go through the Family Courts in order to do this, and provide information alongside their application with the Court that they had taken medical treatment that aligned with
688-697: The Colonial Secretary's Office coordinated the relationship between central government and provincial government and, when the provinces were abolished in 1876, took on responsibility for the new system of local government. Over the twentieth century the department's functions would include cultural affairs, civil defence, a translation service, conservation, tourism, sport and recreation, support for ethnic communities, and support services for government ministers. Several new government departments have been formed by establishing new agencies around former Internal Affairs services. The electoral office moved to
731-673: The Crown . The land gifted by the Golden Bay Cement Company and the Tata Islands are physically detached from the Abel Tasman National Park but are part of it. As was typical for the 1940s, the original inscription focused on the European experience. This Pākehā -centric systemic bias of not covering the Māori perspective was entrenched in New Zealand. These attitudes changed in later decades. Robert Jenkin, who built
774-546: The Dutch royal family have been affixed near the base of the concrete pylon, and the inscribed marble tablet has been turned from horizontal to stand almost vertically. In 2006, the monument received an enduring architecture award in the New Zealand Institute of Architects Nelson–Marlborough regional awards. The jury called the memorial a "national treasure", but urged the Department of Conservation to remove
817-457: The Tata Islands. The Domain Board resolved to convey their view to the Department of Internal Affairs . Within days, the Department of Internal Affairs sent its historian, John Beaglehole , to Golden Bay to explore the area for a suitable site for a memorial. It was said that Beaglehole favoured a site near the band rotunda at Pōhara Beach or a site at Ligar Bay . The site chosen for the monument
860-433: The company of the ships Heemskerck and Zeehaen. Also Jan Tyssen of Oue-ven. Tobias Pietersz of Delft. Jan Isbrantsz & a sailor of name unknown killed by the natives of this country. The actual erection of the monument was first reported less than a month before the tercentenary, after land clearing had been observed and rumours of the land donation started circulating. At the time, it was speculated that in an ironic twist,
903-436: The department holds concurrent roles as Chief Executive, Secretary for Internal Affairs, Secretary for Local Government and Government Chief Digital Officer. As at 7 July 2022: The department provides secretariat support for several entities including: The department serves 7 portfolios and 5 ministers. In addition, the department also has responsibilities to the Minister of Finance in relation to community trusts and to
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#1732802175894946-417: The department in the late 1990s but merged back in 2011. A standalone Ministry of Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry for Culture and Heritage , which in the present day also has responsibility for the sport and recreation portfolio) was established in 1991. The department briefly held responsibility for tourism from 1998 until 2000, when this was combined with other former Ministry of Commerce functions in
989-629: The department include a translation service, publication of the New Zealand Gazette (the official government newspaper), a flag hire service, management of VIP visits to New Zealand, running the Lake Taupō harbourmaster's office (under a special agreement with the local iwi ) and the administration of offshore islands. The Department of Internal Affairs traces its roots back to the Colonial Secretary's Office , which from
1032-407: The difference between the new and old interpretation signs, revealing "how our perspective on how Abel Tasman's visit had changed in the intervening 50 years". A number of changes have been made to the memorial since its opening in 1942. The site is now covered with timber decking over the large concrete pavers , and timber balustrades have been added around the perimeter. Brass plaques gifted by
1075-466: The diorama of the 1642 meeting of the races and is considered an expert on Tasman's visit of Golden Bay, believes that Pākehā and Māori views of history became more inclusive starting in the 1960s. Fifty years after the unveiling, the then-Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the monument. A new interpretation panel was installed for the occasion and the Department of Conservation comments on
1118-466: The final abstracted form of a white concrete tapering column, 9.1 metres (30 ft) in height, referencing the Greek funerary stele . Alongside the monument was a low concrete plinth topped by a marble tablet, sourced from Tākaka Hill , with an inscription engraved in lettering designed by art historian Janet Paul . The whole area was paved with a grid of large quadratic concrete slabs. The design follows
1161-520: The installation of computer system upgrades in March 2024 and increased seasonal demand. Standard passport processing took eight weeks while urgent passport processing took three days. The number of passports processed dropped from 38,000 in February 2024 to half that number in March 2024. On 14 May 2024, the department apologised for delays in wait times for processing passport applications. The head of
1204-430: The modern department, which gained its present name in 1907, but other functions eventually grew into standalone government agencies. As the department's functions have changed over time, there has become a growing acknowledgement that it carries responsibility for all government functions which are not substantial enough to justify a standalone organisation or do not fit well into any other existing departments. From 1853
1247-574: The new Ministry for Ethnic Communities in 2021. The department has also gained responsibilities that previously belonged to other agencies. In 2009 the department took responsibility for government technology services from the State Services Commission . The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector was transferred to the department from the Ministry of Social Development in 2011. In December 2021, Parliament passed
1290-478: The new Ministry of Economic Development , now the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment . The National Emergency Management Agency , which had been a business unit within the department since before World War II , was transferred to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2009. The Office of Ethnic Communities, originally a single part-time position within the department, became
1333-488: The night, near where the Abel Tasman Monument is now located, intending to go on land to take on water and provisions the next day. The local iwi (tribe) was Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and they came out in two waka (canoes) to inspect the visitors and their ships. The Māori used ritual challenges including blowing their pūtātara (a type of trumpet) and the Dutch responded by blowing their own trumpets and firing
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1376-479: The official delegation was hosted by the Golden Bay Cement Company for afternoon tea . The delegation then travelled over Tākaka Hill and were welcomed by the mayor of Motueka , Walter Eginton, and the councillors. The Abel Tasman National Park was opened on the following day, with the opening carried out by the Governor-General, Cyril Newall , and the delegation increased by additional ministers of
1419-555: The principles of modern architecture by "rejecting ornament and embracing minimalism", with Plischke's approach minimalist and strongly geometrical, in contrast to the wild and natural surroundings. The inscription on the marble slab reads: Remember Abel Janszoon Tasman a commander in the service of the Dutch East India Company who discovered New Zealand & on 18th & 19th December 1642 anchored in this bay. Remember also Frans Jacobszoon Visscher Pilot Major &
1462-538: The sex they wished to change on their birth certificate. With the BDMR bill, the process moved under the Department of Internal Affairs. It now only requires a statutory declaration in front of a qualified individual, and either a photo ID or an identity referee declaration, which is then sent to the Registrar-General and given approval. Children 16-17 can also apply, with their guardians consent, or alternatively
1505-556: The tercentenary of Tasman's visit in June 1938 but planning was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. A possible memorial was discussed by the Pohara Domain Board at its October 1941 meeting. It was decided that a memorial should be erected at Pōhara Beach as that was the closest populated place to where the encounter between Dutch sailors and Māori had happened; Pōhara Beach is four kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west of
1548-482: The timber platform to reveal the original paving design, saying that "New Zealand would then have an internationally significant example of early Modernist architecture". The government has registered the monument as one of the National Memorials . As of 2023, there are 21 National Memorials, and this is the only one administered by the Department of Conservation; the other monuments are the responsibility of
1591-407: The time New Zealand became a British colony , in 1840, was responsible for almost all central government duties. The department was the first government department to be established in New Zealand, and it became the home for a diverse range of government functions providing services to New Zealanders and advice to Ministers of the Crown. A former Minister of Internal Affairs, Michael Bassett , wrote
1634-476: Was a bluff in Tarakohe that overlooks Ligar Bay and Tata Beach , on land donated by the adjacent Golden Bay Cement Company. As Bill Parry , the Minister of Internal Affairs , explained in his speech at the monument's unveiling, the site where Tasman came closest to land was "past Wainui " and too difficult to access. The monument was designed by Ernst Plischke from the Department of Housing Construction. He
1677-399: Was an Austrian architect who had fled his country after its annexation by Nazi Germany as he had socialist links and was married to a Jew. When he arrived in New Zealand, he had an international reputation as a leading modernist architect . Plischke's initial design concept for the monument showed Tasman's ships in full sail and he had over twenty designs rejected. Eventually, he achieved
1720-555: Was designed by the architect Ernst Plischke as an abstracted sail, and consists of a large concrete monolith painted white. Located on a bluff at Tarakohe just east of Pōhara , the land for the monument was gifted by the Golden Bay Cement Company . The dignitaries opened the Abel Tasman National Park the following day and the area holding the monument is part of the national park. As
1763-582: Was fighting in the North African campaign at the time). Eruera Tirikatene , MP for the Southern Maori electorate, led the Māori delegation. The chairman of directors of the Golden Bay Cement Company formally handed over the deed for the gifted land. Prior to the event, the delegation had been hosted by the Takaka town board and the Takaka county council for a light lunch and after the unveiling,
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1806-603: Was the personal representative for Queen Wilhelmina . Major General L. P. van Temmen (representing the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ), J. van Holst Pellekaan (representing the Department of Commerce) and Lieutenant Commander Huibert Quispel (representing the Royal Netherlands Navy ) were the other three and they arrived in New Zealand on 8 December 1942. They were hosted for their New Zealand visit and tour by Bill Parry ,
1849-501: Was typical for the 1940s, the original inscription focused on the European experience only and overlooked the Māori perspective, demonstrating Western-centric systemic bias. The monument is one of New Zealand's National Memorials . The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first encountered New Zealand ( Aotearoa ), which he named Staten Landt , on 13 December 1642. Tasman was in the service of the Dutch East India Company ,
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