Chris Bishop
National List MP based in Hutt South
Media statement
8 May 2017
Bishop encourages Hutt students to enter Passchendaele competition
Chris Bishop has today encouraged Hutt Valley students to enter the national competition commemorating the 100th
anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
“This is an amazing opportunity for Hutt students to learn more about this extraordinary and tragic event in New
Zealand’s history, and to teach younger students about it as well,” says Mr Bishop.
The competition, announced jointly by Education Minister Nikki Kaye and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Maggie
Barry, will offer ten students aged 16-19 the opportunity to join the 100thanniversary commemorations in Belgium.
Entrants are asked to use digital technology to produce a curriculum resource for year 7 to 10 students about the Battle
of Passchendaele. The winners will attend the National Commemoration Service at the Tyne Cot Cemetery in West Flanders
in October this year.
“Passchendaele was one of our darkest days as a nation, with 846 New Zealand soldiers losing their lives in the battle.
It’s important for our young people to understand and reflect on the historical importance of this event, and I’m
looking forward to seeing their innovative new ways of teaching it to their peers through digital technology,” says Mr
Bishop.
“I would love to see Hutt students among those chosen to visit the battlefield in Belgium and attend the centenary
commemorations. Knowing how bright our young people are in the Hutt, I’m sure that any who enter will be in with a good
chance,” says Mr Bishop.
The competition runs from 8 May to 2 July 2017. Winners will be announced on 24 July 2017. More information is available
on the Ministry of Education’s website at http://www.education.govt.nz/passchendaele
ENDS