Cultural Significance

Cultural The construction and use of memorials as places of commemoration is a matter of deep cultural significance to New Zealanders. The need to have tangible places to express grief and gratitude to fallen soldiers is an integral part of New Zealand's culture and the Cenotaph reflects the people of Hastings' desire to acknowledge their collective loss. Based on English architect Edward Luytens influential design for the Cenotaph at Whitehall, England, the Hastings Cenotaph symbolises the cultural links between, and shared sense of loss felt in England and New Zealand after the First World War. Spiritual Some spiritual value can be accorded this memorial, and others like it, for its role as a focus for memorialising New Zealand's dead soldiers.

Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value Historical This memorial has been used for commemorative purposes since 1923, in particular ANZAC Day services.

Physical Significance

Aesthetic The Hastings Cenotaph has aesthetic value for its simple and sombre design, and for the natural beauty of the stone in which it is built. It is complemented by its park-like setting, providing an oasis in the city centre. Architectural The design of this monument is dignified and appropriate to the purpose. It is almost style-less, but follows Classical principles in its tapering form and the profiles of plinth and capping. The choice of material is perfect, a local stone that has an air of permanence and solidity. Technological The memorial has technological value for the masonry construction, and for the use of a natural indigenous material.

Detail Of Assessed Criteria

(a) The extent to which the place reflects important or representative aspects of New Zealand history This memorial illustrates an important representative part of New Zealand life - the need to express, through the construction and use of memorials, appropriate grief and appreciation for the sacrifice of soldiers who served or died in the First World War. This memorial has performed this function, as others have throughout New Zealand, since 1923. (b) The association of the place with events, persons, or ideas of importance in New Zealand history The Cenotaph is the focal point of Hastings' ANZAC Day services, an annual event of huge significance for this country. The Cenotaph has also been linked, by its location, to Hawke's Bay's most distinguished military son, Sir Andrew Russell, in his then capacity as president of the RSA. (e) The community association with, or public esteem for, the place This memorial has considerable community association, as a place built by the community to commemorate war dead and those who served. (f) The potential of the place for public education War memorials such as this one illustrate an important aspect of New Zealand history, that is the role played by the country in fighting in wars overseas; they consequently have an important role to play in the education of New Zealanders by, for example, children attending ANZAC Day services. (g) The technical accomplishment or value, or design of the place The Cenotaph has technical value for its masonry construction and for the use of Coromandel granite. It has high aesthetic value for its simple and sombre form, for the natural beauty of the stone in which it is built, and for its park-like setting. (h) The symbolic or commemorative value of the place War memorials are, by their very conception and design, intended to be both symbolic and commemorative. They are places where the sacrifice of others can be commemorated in a meaningful way. The Hastings Cenotaph, with its design based on Luyten's Cenotaph in Whitehall making reference back to English origins, underlies both these values. (k) The extent to which the place forms part of a wider historical and cultural complex or historical and cultural landscape The Cenotaph forms part of a significant immediate landscape, including the civic square, gardens and other memorial buildings, such as the War Memorial Library.