The repository is the first large scale redevelopment of the Heraldry Collection since the museum opened in 1978. This new display is situated in the heart of the museum, and incorporates the existing Valour Alcove which is the home of the museums collection of Victoria Crosses, George Crosses and Albert medals.
The initial concept, (by ‘Intouch Design’, Wellington) was to create a sanctuary for the medals within the existing display space; a revised area that would allow families to view medals and visitors to acknowledge the achievements of those servicemen and women who have served their country.
With approximately 10,000 individual medals within the repository, we are working towards a vast Reference Collection that showcases the medals available to New Zealanders past and present. Additional information on each of these medals is linked into the touch screen database.
With the repository, each medal represents the actions of an individual who answered the call to arms in times of war and peace and no longer will the symbolic artefacts be held in storage. Each day they can now be viewed and the recipients honoured in perpetuity, as part of a National Memorial to those who have served their country.