Freedom, friendship, and future  

Remembering the Kiwi soldiers who fought during World War One has been key to driving visitor numbers at Te Arawhata since the museum launched in 2023 in the small French town of Le Quesnoy.  

With a visitor experience created by Wētā Workshop, Te Arawhata tells the story of the Kiwi soldiers who liberated Le Quesnoy on November 4, 1918.  

Central to our on-going profile-raising campaign is telling the poignant and often little-known stories of the Kiwi soldiers who served on the Western Front and were involved in the liberation.  

Stories like 16-year-old Otago Boys High School student Cameron Brown who visited Le Quesnoy to trace the history of his great grandfather, Frederick Lyders. Then there is Jim Craig whose family discovered a 100-year-old letter he wrote detailing the events of the liberation. 

These stories are shared on the museums’ website (an extension of Te Arawhata’s visitor experience), via social media channels, in the monthly newsletter, and through mainstream and regional media outlets including NZ Herald, Radio NZ, 1 News, The Press, and Otago Daily Times.         

This coverage and rich story telling has helped make Te Arawhata a must-visit destination on the Western Front.