Story: Anniversaries

Re-enactment at Akaroa, April 1940 (4th of 4)

Re-enactment at Akaroa, April 1940

On 20 April 1940 there was a national centennial event at Akaroa. Governor-General Lord Galway was welcomed onto the Akaroa Recreation Ground and there was a re-enactment of Captain Owen Stanley raising the Union Jack at Akaroa on 11 August 1840. That moment can be seen in this image. According to press reports, as the flag rose, one Māori murmured, 'Way goes the land' and another followed up, 'Now the Pākehā's got the place.'  Later, in the formal speeches, Ngāi Tahu made clear their disappointment at the lack of progress on their land claim.

Using this item

Auckland City Libraries - Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: AWNS-19400424-34-4

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'Anniversaries - New Zealand’s centennial, 1940', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/43021/re-enactment-at-akaroa-april-1940 (accessed 18 April 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 20 Jun 2012