Events
Events and public programmes
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand hosts regular events and public programmes to foster community connection, education, and remembrance.
Commemorations
Upcoming
27 January 2027
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Details: National and regional commemorative events will mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Save the date.
Past highlights and legacy
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13 April 2026
Our community gathered across Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch alongside dignitaries, survivors, and descendants to tend the "Flame of Memory."
Yom HaShoah is the designated day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and Heroism, coinciding with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
Moving addresses were delivered by descendants at all events.
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27 January 2026
Centered on the theme “Bridging the Generations,” the Centre hosted nationwide commemorative ceremonies in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Blenheim, and Christchurch. Notable speakers included Her Excellency the Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro (Governor General of New Zealand), Hon Mark Mitchell, Hon Chris Bishop, Chief Human Rights Commissioner Stephen Rainbow, and Race Relations Commissioner Dr Melissa Derby.
The events featured the trailer premiere for our new educational film, We Were Just Children, funded by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities.
Music
Upcoming
November 2026
Kristallnacht Commemorative Concert
9 November 2026 - Wellington
10 November 2026 - Auckland
Registration details coming soon
Past Highlights & Legacy
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(9-10 November 2025)
Held over two evenings in Wellington and Auckland, this concert series marked the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht and honoured the victims of the Farhud pogrom of 1941. Performed by the Te Kōkī Trio (Inbal Megiddo, Martin Riseley, and Jian Liu), Professor Kim Cunio, and Heather Lee, the programme celebrated the resilience of persecuted Jewish musicians, including opera singer Erna Weiss Falk, composer Brigitte Schiffer, the Al Kuwaiti brothers, and violinist Ferdinand Adler.
Talks and presentations
Upcoming
L’Dor V’Dor Speaker Series 2026
Join us on the last Wednesday of the month (March - November) in person or online for our lecture series exploring a diverse range of topics, including Holocaust history, memory and human rights.
Tickets:
$10.00 (+GST and booking fee) per session
$7.00 (+GST and booking fee) for Members
Wednesday 30 September, 12PM - 1.30PM
Upcoming L’do V’dor sessions
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Speaker: Professor Giacomo Lichtner (Victoria University of Wellington
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Speaker: Aubrey Pomerance, former Head of Archives, Jewish Museum, Berlin.
Past Highlights & Legacy
Watch Past Sessions: Missed a previous L’Dor V’Dor speaker event? Full recordings of our past educational presentations are available to watch.
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June 2026
Professor Paul Morris (Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, and Aotearoa UNESCO Chair in Interreligious Understanding and Relations in New Zealand and the Pacific), explores Jewish religious responses to the Shoah. Moving beyond the early communal responses, via the theologies of the Shoah, to our post-theodicy era, Professor Morris takes a comprehensive look at the diverse landscape of Jewish religious thought that has emerged in the wake of tragedy. This presentation details a range of pivotal religious responses from thinkers across both Israel and America, examining how contemporary Jewry continues to grapple with the religious meanings of the Holocaust, wrestling with G-d and faith, and its impact in reshaping Jewish identity in the modern world.
Films
Upcoming
Our new educational documentary for schools. Available for teachers.
More information under Lessons and activities
