Maori Totem

On the castle grounds in Zonnebeke, a large Maori totem was inaugurated by the Maori this morning.The monument will be named 'Pōhutukawa', named after the native New Zealand tree that symbolizes new beginnings.The memorial is a tribute to their ancestors who fought here in the First World War and lost their lives.

The totem is 8 meters high and weighs 6 tons. The monument is a symbol of the common history that our country and New Zealand share. One side of the sculpture represents the war and is directed towards the battlefields around Passchendaele. The other side represents the people who have stayed in the homeland.

The commemorative totem was created by master woodcarvers and art school students from a native wood species, which is more than 4,500 years old.