We are proud of our Military Gallery.

It is a space that sensitively uses images, words and physical objects to illustrate how the major conflicts of the last 160 years impacted on the lives of New Zealanders.

As always there is a strong emphasis on men and women from Papakura who served in the armed forces (including nurses) and those who supported the war effort from the homefront.

During the New Zealand Wars the conflict was literally in our own backyard from July to December of 1863, with skirmishes in the Hunua Ranges, the Drury Hills and areas of Franklin.

A key part of the Military Gallery is the Costar Collection; one family’s precious, physical memories of two sons that lost their lives during World War One.