Camp & Remembrance
A landscape of memory and reconciliation
A solemn, chronological journey through Featherston's complex wartime history — and the peace that followed.
1915–1918
Featherston Military Camp
During the First World War, Featherston became home to one of New Zealand's largest military training camps. Tens of thousands of soldiers passed through on their way to the front. The camp reshaped the town and left a lasting mark on the Wairarapa.
1942–1946
WWII Prisoner-of-War Camp
In the Second World War the site was reused as a prisoner-of-war camp, holding Japanese servicemen captured in the Pacific theatre. It became one of the most significant POW sites in New Zealand.
25 February 1943
A day of tragedy
On 25 February 1943, a confrontation at the camp led to the deaths of Japanese prisoners and the wounding of others. It remains a solemn and contested moment in New Zealand's wartime history, remembered here with care and respect.
Reconciliation
Featherston–Japan relationships
From grief grew reconciliation. Over decades, Featherston and communities in Japan have built relationships of friendship and remembrance, transforming a site of conflict into a symbol of peace.
Remembrance
Japanese Memorial Garden | Sakura Garden
On the former Featherston camp site beside State Highway 2 is a place of remembrance associated with the Japanese prisoners of war held at Featherston during the Second World War.
The idea for a Japanese peace garden developed after a 1986 ceremony at the Repose of Souls memorial. In 1993, land beside the existing memorial area was acquired and donated to South Wairarapa District Council for the project. The proposal was initially contentious, but relationships and attitudes changed over subsequent years.
In July 2001 local volunteers planted 68 cherry trees, and the garden was formally opened the following year. A memorial shelter was later added. The site has become a place for remembrance, reflection and the continuing relationship between Featherston and Japan.
Chor-Farmer's first Featherston visit in 2000 also forms part of this story. Manatū Taonga records that the choir's visit contributed to changing attitudes around the proposed garden and the developing relationship between Featherston and Japan.
Paul Dibble, unveiled November 2018
Featherston Stand | He Tino Mamao
The Featherston Camp Sculpture
Paul Dibble's Featherston Stand | He Tino Mamao (It's a Long Way) commemorates Featherston's role as the site of New Zealand's largest First World War military training camp.
The bronze work consists of nine leaning columns. Soldiers and horses shown moving towards the Remutaka Range recall the route taken by troops after training at Featherston, while other faces of the work contain imagery, information and inscriptions relating to the camp and its relationship with the town.
The sculpture was completed and formally unveiled in November 2018, immediately before the centenary of the Armistice. It was conceived as a sister work to Dibble's Southern Stand, the New Zealand Memorial in Hyde Park, London.
Location: 61 Fitzherbert Street, Featherston
Cultural exchange
Chor-Farmer
Music, remembrance and a friendship between communities
Chor-Farmer was founded in 1967 as a male voice choir at Tokyo University of Agriculture by conductor Hiroshi Masumoto. Over decades of goodwill touring, the choir has used music to build friendships between communities in Japan, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
A Musical Bridge Across History
Chor-Farmer's relationship with Featherston began around 2000. Its visits have particular significance because of Featherston's history as the site of the Second World War Japanese prisoner-of-war camp and the events of 1943. The choir's early Featherston concerts helped deepen personal and cultural connections between the town and Japan.
Visits to Featherston: A Deep Connection
The relationship also forms part of the story of the Japanese Memorial Garden. Manatū Taonga records that attitudes towards establishing the garden gradually changed, particularly following Chor-Farmer's visit in 2000. The garden subsequently became an enduring place of remembrance and reconciliation.
Music That Builds Friendship
Chor-Farmer has returned repeatedly to Featherston, combining performances with remembrance, hospitality and friendships developed over many years. The continuing relationship demonstrates the role music can play in sustaining connections between communities shaped by a difficult shared history.
We welcome contributions of records, photographs and memories.
Contribute to the archive