Mercer's War Memorial
Channel: Difficult Histories: The New Zealand Wars
Date: 2023-02-15

The settlement of Mercer, on the banks of the Waikato River, has a memorial to those from the area who fought and died in World War One. In this way, it is no different from most other towns throughout New Zealand. But Mercer’s memorial is unique. As Vincent O’Malley explains in this video, it is made out of the gun turret of a gunboat deployed in action against the Tainui tribes in 1863. A weapon of war unleashed during the Waikato War is in this way used to commemorate service in another, foreign, war.