Officers of the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment pictured on the lawn in front of Pompallier House September, 1942, which was requisitioned by the Army for the officers' mess 1942-43. Photo / Russell Museum
Officers of the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment pictured on the lawn in front of Pompallier House September, 1942, which was requisitioned by the Army for the officers' mess 1942-43. Photo / Russell Museum
Today marks 80 years since World War II ended with Japan’s surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri in the country’s own harbour of Tokyo Bay. While New Zealand was never invaded, war was still close to home - maybe more than people nowadays realise.
Northland played an importantrole as a first line of defence against an anticipated Japanese invasion from the north.
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland manager Bill Edwards said the military had concluded defending the north was a priority because that was where the Japanese would most likely attack first before heading south to Auckland.
Top-secret defence infrastructure, developed in the months after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, stretched from North Auckland through to the Far North.
“People had a very localised view of what was going on in their immediate area, though often entry to these places was restricted with information about them tightly controlled,” Edwards said.
“What people didn’t understand, however, was that their own local military facility was a small piece in a much larger jigsaw that made up Northland’s comprehensive defence network.”
“Not many people know it, though Pompallier Mission in Kororāreka-Russell, Te Waimate Mission in Waimate North and the Waitangi Treaty grounds and surrounding estate all played a significant role in the plan for Northland’s defence,” Edwards said.
The Field of Remembrance at Waitangi Treaty Grounds. There are 569 crosses, one for each member of the Māori Battalion who didn’t make it home. Photo / Peter de Graaf
The three buildings were no strangers to conflict, having all survived the Northern War of 1845-46.
During World War II, Waitangi was central to the defence of the Bay of Islands and the neighbouring Whangaroa Harbour.
Edwards said defence operations at Waitangi served as the operational home to the 4th North Auckland Battalion, an infantry unit for defence and rapid response.
“ ... [They] were central to what was known as The Box – the military administrative zone based at the southern end of the Bay of Islands."
Waitangi Camp covered the river mouth spits near the Treaty House, while Cactus Camp was built on the edge of the bush a bit further to the north.
Building began in February 1942 – two months after Pearl Harbour – and at least 28 buildings were constructed on the two plots. Work was completed by July 1942 when the Army occupied the site.
Edwards said across the bay at Russell, Pompallier Mission – or Pompallier House as it was known then – was requisitioned by the Army for military use as an officers’ mess.
Pompallier Mission in Russell. Photo / NZME
“Interestingly, in 1943 – and at the height of the war – the Government bought the building for the nation, and Pompallier House became a public monument open to visitors in the late 1940s."
Also central to Northland’s World War II defence plans was New Zealand’s second-oldest building, Te Waimate Mission, which is about a 30-minute drive from Waitangi.
It was built in 1832 as the Church Missionary Society’s inland mission and model farm and was designed to teach Māori European farming techniques. But in World War II it became host to the New Zealand Army.
“An anti-tank regiment was established in the Te Waimate area – a mobile and relatively independent force that had the capacity to respond to invasions quickly using the roads leading to possible points of landing," Edwards said.
In addition, the 20th Field Regiment – a fighting infantry unit – was based there, close to the historic mission.
Just down the road at Remuera, close to Ōhaeawai, the Māori 2nd Battalion had their camp with the Remuera 9th Ambulance Camp nearby.
Edwards said the 80th anniversary of the war’s end was a fascinating time to reflect on the role Northland’s most treasured heritage places played in the country’s defence strategy.
