New Zealand Archives

85th Anniversary of the Battle of Pinios Gorge – A Tough Fight

by History Guild | Apr 16, 2026 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 16 minutes
85 years ago today hundreds of young Australians and New Zealanders were digging into the dry soil of central Greece, preparing to meet the advancing juggernaut of the German army. They fought hard, buying the time the rest of the Allied force needed to withdraw in good order further south.
The battle of Pinios Gorge, also known as the battle for the Tempi valley, was a pivotal rearguard action fought by Anzac troops – mostly made up of Australians – from the 17th to the 18th of April, 1941. Though successful in its main goal, delaying the German advance toward the central Greek town of Larisa, it was also a case study of the things that can go wrong in the fog of war.

“A More Intimate Knowledge of it All:” The History of Museums

by History Guild | Nov 24, 2025 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonians, was a traditionalist. As...

History and myth: why the Treaty of Waitangi remains such a ‘bloody difficult subject’

by History Guild | Oct 28, 2024 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 10 minutes
The Treaty of Waitangi, the influential historian Ruth Ross (1920-1982) remarked in 1972, is “a bloody difficult subject”. She should have known – she devoted most of her working life to trying to make sense of it, especially the text in te reo Māori. That difficulty persists to this day.

Earning the Enemy’s Respect: Victoria Cross Recommendations from the Other Side

by History Guild | Mar 11, 2024 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
Many readers will be familiar with the 1964 epic movie Zulu, which depicts the 1879 landmark Battle of Rorke’s Drift in the Anglo-Zulu War. In the film, perhaps the most iconic scene takes place at the end of the movie, whereby the Zulu warriors chant in respectful salutation towards the British soldiers before withdrawing after the battle. Moving, cinematic, and honourable, it’s clear why the scene lives so memorably in the hearts of fans today.

Why Aotearoa New Zealand’s early Polynesian settlement should be recognised with World Heritage Site status

by History Guild | Mar 16, 2023 | Historical Sites | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
Despite Aotearoa New Zealand’s rich and celebrated natural and cultural wonders, we have contributed only three to the international list: Te Wahipounamu in the South Island, Tongariro National Park in the North Island, and New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic islands.

While there is a good tentative list of potential submissions, we believe it is now out of date and the country needs to go further. Mostly, we need to be thinking in much broader terms about the reasons we value our heritage.

Lemnos and Gallipoli Revealed – Podcast

by History Guild | Apr 17, 2022 | Military History | 0

Over the course of 1915, most of the 50,000 Australian personnel who served at Gallipoli passed through the island of Lemnos. Centring his attention on the Australian experience of the island, historian Jim Claven shares unique and humanising insights into the Gallipoli campaign.

Second Battle of El Alamein: Australia Forces a Breach

by History Guild | Feb 3, 2022 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 8 minutes
The battle of El Alamein in late 1942 was the turning point for the North African campaign, which saw the fighting rage back and forth between Libya and Egypt. As with most of the battles in the region, Australians played a vital role in the eventual Allied victory. In this article, we go over their experiences during this pivotal battle.

A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World – Audiobook

by History Guild | Jan 26, 2022 | Audiobooks | 0

On his first journey Cook mapped the east coast of Australia, on his second the British Admiralty sent him into the vast Southern Ocean. Equipped with one of the first accurate chronometers, Cook pushed his small vessel not merely into the Roaring Forties or the Furious Fifties but become the first explorer to penetrate the Antarctic Circle, reaching an incredible Latitude 71 degrees South, just failing to discover Antarctica.

On the money: Kate Sheppard and the making of a New Zealand feminist icon

by History Guild | Jan 17, 2022 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
In 1992 four New Zealand icons (and the queen) appeared on new banknotes. Part of creating national identity, these notable citizens were chosen to represent the pinnacles of achievement.