Gisborne Herald
  • Gisborne Herald Home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Gisborne
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Hawke's Bay

Media

  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Gisborne Herald

VE Day in Gisborne: Criticism over postponed celebrations due to Churchill’s timing

Gisborne Herald
8 May, 2025 12:56 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

8th May 1945: People dancing in the streets of London during the celebrations for VE Day. Original Publication: Picture Post - 1991 - This Was VE Day In London - pub. 19th May 1945 (Photo by Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

8th May 1945: People dancing in the streets of London during the celebrations for VE Day. Original Publication: Picture Post - 1991 - This Was VE Day In London - pub. 19th May 1945 (Photo by Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) was not entirely a day of joyous celebration for Gisborne Borough Council.

The council met that night, with Councillor M.J. White stating that the meeting was being held “under particularly happy circumstances,” according to the next day’s Gisborne Herald.

But New Zealand celebrations were put on hold for a day to allow British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to announce victory in London on May 8, British time, and the delay resulted in Gisborne Borough Council being criticised.

At the council meeting, Gisborne mayor Noel Bull said the criticism was unfair.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Bull said Acting Prime Minister Walter Nash had informed him by telegraph that victory celebrations could not be staged before Churchill made his official announcement.

“I think council members agree that spontaneous celebrations would have been preferable upon the announcement of peace, but what could be done other than to follow the lead given by the acting Prime Minister Walter Nash,” said Bull.

“Victory celebrations could hardly be held before the actual announcement had been officially made by the man who had carried Britain through the war, Mr Churchill.”

 The Gisborne Herald of May 9, 1945, reports on the end of the war with Nazi Germany and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill giving his victory speech. New Zealand celebrations could not start until after Churchill's announcement although kiwis were aware of Germany's surrender.
The Gisborne Herald of May 9, 1945, reports on the end of the war with Nazi Germany and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill giving his victory speech. New Zealand celebrations could not start until after Churchill's announcement although kiwis were aware of Germany's surrender.

Alterations had to be made to existing arrangements, said the mayor.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Gisborne Herald reported that public servants in Wellington had staged spontaneous celebrations (on May 8), immediately celebrating the end of the European war.

They created a paper storm over Lambton Quay, ripping up records and throwing them out of the windows.

At the Civic Theatre on Auckland’s Queen St, the manager stopped the film and announced the European war was over.

Moviegoers poured on to the streets to join thousands of other Aucklanders who had heard the news of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.

Historic New Zealand
World War TWo (WWII)
End of War celebrations VE Day in Queen Street Auckland. 
May 1945
Historic New Zealand World War TWo (WWII) End of War celebrations VE Day in Queen Street Auckland. May 1945

Nash announced that he would speak to the nation at 1am (May 9) immediately after Churchill made his broadcast in London announcing the end of the war in Europe.

A national ceremony would be held in Wellington at noon, with other commemorations around New Zealand not beginning before 1pm.

Bells and sirens would be sounded at 7am on May 9, with that day and May 10 (Wednesday and Thursday) being public holidays, announced Nash.

Gisborne’s official celebrations were held at 1pm as mandated by Nash, with the mayor and other dignitaries speaking in Peel Street from a platform.

The Salvation Army, the City Band, the Gisborne Pipe and Drum Band and the Home Guard Band played before and after the ceremony and “marched in the business area playing suitable airs and patriotic songs,” reported the Gisborne Herald.

Bull, in his speech, characterised the day as one of rejoicing tempered by the knowledge that the German surrender did not mean the end of the war.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Gisborne RSA president R.F. Gambrill said he hoped the mistakes of the 1920s to 1930s would not be repeated, and that they would not lead to another world war.

Gisborne MP Billy Coleman said the “democratic nations had crushed again the most dangerous enemy to peace.”

He prayed that the enemy might never rise again.

The Gisborne Herald reported that bars were closed on the afternoon of May 9 while bakers announced no bread would be baked or delivered that day.

Picture theatres remained open across the nation with the government’s permission.

In an article with the subheadline “Frustrated Celebrants”, the Gisborne Herald of May 10 reported on other celebrations being of a muted nature.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There was a bonfire on Kaiti Hill with limited materials last evening.

“VE Day celebrations in Gisborne were restricted mainly to private parties and attendance at the pictures.”

The crowd who attended the official 1pm event “were in a mood to make the day a bright patch in a dull season; but the facilities were not available, and no lead appeared to be forthcoming.

”The general feeling was that “Gisborne had not lived up to its reputation as a town with initiative”.

An open-air religious service was held on Sunday, May 13.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Gisborne Herald

Most of $20k goal for Gisborne boy’s urgent cancer treatment raised in 48 hours

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Gisborne Herald

Hundreds brave winter solstice ocean dip in Matariki celebration

07 Jul 04:09 AM
Gisborne Herald

'Early-stage discussions' between Government and iwi organisation for housing support

07 Jul 04:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Most of $20k goal for Gisborne boy’s urgent cancer treatment raised in 48 hours

Most of $20k goal for Gisborne boy’s urgent cancer treatment raised in 48 hours

07 Jul 05:00 PM

The family have closed the fundraiser and will soon travel back to Starship.

Hundreds brave winter solstice ocean dip in Matariki celebration

Hundreds brave winter solstice ocean dip in Matariki celebration

07 Jul 04:09 AM
'Early-stage discussions' between Government and iwi organisation for housing support

'Early-stage discussions' between Government and iwi organisation for housing support

07 Jul 04:00 AM
Glaze of glory: Garrett named Most Promising Apprentice

Glaze of glory: Garrett named Most Promising Apprentice

06 Jul 11:43 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Gisborne Herald
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Gisborne Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP