News: 4 May 2020
Crowd filling Willis Street during VJ day celebrations, Wellington, 15 August 1945. Photo: John Dobree Pascoe. Collection: Alexander Turnbull Library Ref: 1/4-001829-F
2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War – a brutal war that claimed the lives of 50 million people and helped shape the world we know today.
This significant anniversary gives New Zealand the opportunity to reflect on the devastating impacts of this war on all who endured it. To acknowledge the experiences of all those who served on the front lines and at home. To recall their hopes for the future. To remember the approximately 12,000 New Zealanders who died in the war and honour those few veterans still alive today.
Commemorating the end of the Second World War – 15 August 2020
New Zealand commemorated the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on 15 August 2020. This date – historically known as VJ Day (or Victory over Japan Day) – marks the day Japan surrendered and the end of fighting in Asia and the Pacific.
A national commemoration was scheduled to take place on Saturday 15 August at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington. Regrettably, this service was cancelled due to restrictions in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below you will find a video recording with highlights from the Act of Remembrance from 15 August 2020.
Historical resources
- Learn about the history of the Second World War on Te Ara and NZHistory
- Discover the stories of the 28th Māori Battalion
- Dive into NZ On Screen's collection of Second World War videos
- Listen to speeches, waiata and haka from Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision’s digital exhibition Te Hokinga Mai o Te Rua Tekau mā Waru (the return of the Māori Battalion)
- Lay a virtual poppy at Auckland Museum’s Online Cenotaph for a loved one
- Discover more about the War in the Pacific on the Online Cenotaph's blog
- Read the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War on the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
- Read a message from the Governor-General of New Zealand, the Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, GNZM, QSO
The end of the War in Europe – 8 May 2020
The Prime Minister, Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, and Governor-General, Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, recorded video messages to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May 2020. Due to the restrictions in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park was not able to go ahead.
Find out how New Zealand commemorated the end of the War in Europe
Updated on 29th October 2021