On 22 March 1909, Prime Minister Joseph Ward announced that New Zealand would pay for the construction of HMS New Zealand, a first-class battleship to be gifted to the British Royal Navy. As nzhistory.net.nz notes, to build the ship cost £1.7 million (equivalent to $265 million in 2013). During the war, the HMS New Zealand participated in all three of the major North Sea, contributed to the destruction of two cruisers, and was hit by enemy fire only once.

In 1913 the HMS New Zealand made a 10-week tour of New Zealand, "during which an estimated 500,000 New Zealanders inspected their gift to Mother England." However not everyone was happy with this very expensive symbol of New Zealand's loyalty to the Empire. Local socialists argued against the "midsummer madness of militarism" because "you - the workers - have to pay for it all." Indeed, New Zealander's finally finished paying for the ship in 1944 - twenty-one years after it was decommissioned and pulled apart for scrap metal.

Above is a painting by Walter Armiger Bowring showing the arrival of HMS New Zealand in 1913. It comes from the extensive collection of War Art at Archives New Zealand. This collection is composed of about 1,500 original artworks depicting those who served New Zealand in times of war, and the arenas in which they served. More information on the collection can be found here: warart.archives.govt.nz/whatiswarart

Archives Reference: AAAC 898 NCWA 537 warart.archives.govt.nz/node/629

More on the HMS New Zealand can be found at www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/hms-new-zealand-begins-tour-nz

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