Children's Holocaust Memorial

NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's message. #CHM

Children’s Holocaust Memorial – A Unique Opportunity to Learn
The Children’s Holocaust Memorial provides an enduring lesson for New Zealanders: the importance of standing up to discrimination and prejudice and the violation of human rights…in essence, being prepared to be an Upstander not a bystander.
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The Children’s Holocaust Memorial was officially launched at the National Library of New Zealand in Wellington on 15 November, 2018.

The Memorial honours the 1.5 million children killed during the Holocaust (including children related to New Zealand’s own Holocaust survivors and refugees).

The Memorial is the first of its kind in the world, combining the simple everyday button as icon within a unique contemporary design-installation. The button was chosen by the then Principal of the Moriah Jewish Day School in Wellington in an effort to communicate to her students the enormity of the number of children killed. The primary-aged children then went on to collect 1.5 million buttons  from around New Zealand and internationally, to symbolise the 1.5 million innocent lives lost.

The other major element of the Memorial is an interactive educational space.
 
Key Learning Themes

Underpinning the Children’s Holocaust Memorial are a number of key themes, including:

• How an autocratic government relentlessly threatened and violated the rights of minority groups, including Jewish children, German children with physical and mental disabilities, and Roma and Sinti, and Polish children.
• How some people were courageously prepared to stand up and protect the human rights of minorities – that is, prepared to be Upstanders.
• The need to be always aware and alert to protecting hard won human rights – especially freedom of speech, freedom to assemble and freedom to practice one’s own religion.
• The importance in a modern democracy such as New Zealand, to respect and nurture diversity in all its forms – racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, religious, age and disability.

Relevance to the New Zealand Curriculum – History & Social Studies

Level 4 History achievement objectives

• Understand that events have causes and effects.
• Understand how the ways in which leadership of groups is acquired and exercised have consequences for communities and societies.
• Understand how formal and informal groups make decisions that impact on communities.
• Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.

Level 5 history achievement objectives

• Understand how cultural interaction impacts on cultures and societies.
• Understand how the ideas and actions of people in the past have had a significant impact on people’s lives.
• Understand how people define and seek human rights.

Level 6 history achievement objectives

• Understand how the causes and consequences of past events that are of significance to New Zealanders shape the lives of people and society.
• Understand how people’s perspectives on past events that are of significance to New Zealanders differ.

Level 7 history achievement objectives

• Understand how historical forces and movements have influenced the causes and consequences of events of significance to New Zealanders.
• Understand how people’s interpretations of events that are of significance to New Zealanders differ.

Level 8 history achievement objectives

• Understand that the causes, consequences, and explanations of historical events that are of significance to New Zealanders are complex and how and why they are contested.
• Understand how trends over time reflect social, economic, and political forces.

School & Corporate Visits

If you would like to book an educational visit for your school group or a special guided visit for your managers and/or staff, please contact the host venue directly .

Planning Your Class Visit - Teacher's Resources

Prior to visit

• Pyramid of Hate
• Prejudice worksheet
• The Onslaught of Nazi Occupation

During your class visit

• Hopes and Dreams
• Children during the Holocaust
• Children during the Holocaust, 2 
• Primary and Intermediate Worksheet
• Middle and Senior Worksheet

After your class visit

• Case Study Denmark Takes Action
• The Button Tree
• The Role of Bystanders
• Upstander Activity

For all queries of an educational matter please contact our Education Director Kristopher Clancy at educdirector@holocaustcentre.org.nz

2021 Venues & Dates for the Children's Holocaust Memorial

09 October 2021 to 5 December 2021
Waitangi Treaty Grounds​
1 Tau Henare Drive, Waitangi, Bay of Islands
P. (09) 402 7437
E. info@waitangi.org.nz