27 August 2026
Niuean personnel who answered the call to serve during the First World War are being remembered with memorial headstones in honour of their service.
Thirty-nine memorial headstones were transported to Niue on a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J Hercules and handed over to the Government of Niue and the Niue Returned Services Association (RSA) in a ceremony yesterday.
The memorial headstones will be placed in villages around Niue providing a place for the community and others to pay tribute to the Niuean men who joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force as part of the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion.
Head of Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ), Alexander Brunt, says Niue’s sacrifice in the First World War was immense.
The 150 servicemen who volunteered represented around four per cent of Niue’s population at the time.
Their journey was marked by hardship, including exposure to and death from illnesses and conditions they had never experienced at home, he said.
“We hope that these memorials will help the descendants of your veterans preserve the special places where they honour and remember the loved ones they lost, their courage, service and sacrifice.”
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) was represented at the ceremony by Wing Commander Adam O’Rourke, who said it was a privilege to accompany the delivery and honour the legacy of the Niuean men who volunteered to serve with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
“Their service forged an enduring bond between Niue and New Zealand, carried forward by the Niuean coastwatchers of the Second World War,” he said.
“This partnership between our countries is reflected to this day. Kiwis of Niuean heritage continue to serve in the NZDF and our defence relationship continues to evolve to meet the needs of a changing Pacific,” he said.
VANZ, the NZDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade worked in partnership with the Government of Niue and the Niue RSA to see this important project realised. As part of this effort, the New Zealand High Commission will provide support for the installation of the service memorial headstones in villages throughout Niue, to ensure the legacy of those who served lives on in their communities.
Background notes:
Initially New Zealand declined offers of troops from Niue but following losses during the Gallipoli campaign, men were recruited from Niue and the Cook Islands. They trained at Narrow Neck camp in Auckland before embarking for Suez in February 1916.
Many of the men succumbed to illnesses they had never been previously exposed to, often exacerbated by climate conditions they were also not used to. By late May 1916, over 80 per cent of the Niuean men had been hospitalised, and the decision was made to withdraw them.
The Niuean contingent saw combat service in France, experiencing artillery fire while digging trenches and establishing communications. None died from combat, but from the illnesses they were exposed to.