THEIR NAMES LIVETH FOR EVERMORE: DIGITISING THE NZ ROLL OF HONOUR

The NZ Roll of Honour is a taonga that bears the weight of a nation’s gratitude. Across its five volumes are the names of all 30,000 New Zealand service people who have died in conflicts from the war in South Africa (1899-1902) up to the present day. It’s hard to imagine any accolade higher than being entrusted with preserving this taonga. Through digitisation, this record is now safeguarded for future generations to honour, research, and remember. In doing so, we hope their names will indeed live forevermore.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage plays a key role in preserving the Roll of Honour, and honouring New Zealanders who died in war. As the custodian of our nation’s war history, the Ministry manages and maintains war memorials, graves, and symbols of national identity across the country. Their work ensures that these sites remain cared for, accessible, and meaningful places of remembrance for all New Zealanders and others.

Alongside the New Zealand Defence Force, The Ministry for Culture and Heritage actively researches and documents the stories of New Zealand’s war dead, contributing to the accuracy and completeness of the Roll of Honour. In 2020, Jasmin Walles and Becky Masters-Ramsay from the Ministry approached NZMS to explore the digitisation of this precious taonga. After initial discussions, the project was sadly placed on hold due to budget constraints.

In May 2024, Becky reconnected with NZMS to resume the project. A site visit to the National War Memorial was arranged, allowing the NZMS team to reacquaint themselves with the five volumes and discuss the logistics and details of the work ahead. The time spent in the Hall of Memories (the commemorative chapel of the National War Memorial) was invaluable and helped us understand the tikanga, and clarify important technical and conservation considerations. The expertise of Becky and colleague, Chris Leach, was instrumental in shaping our approach and ensuring that this project would honour the mana of the material at every stage.

Geoff Evans (BDM at NZMS) with Stephanie Smit (Assistant Adviser Monuments & War Graves, Memorials & Commemorations Ministry for Culture and Heritage)

NZMS’ Special Commitment to Preserving War Records

For Andy Fenton, Founder and CEO of NZMS, it was a special privilege to be involved in such a significant project. As a former Naval Officer, Andy found it deeply meaningful to hear the pride and reverence with which Ministry for Culture and Heritage staff spoke about the service personnel who gave up their lives for their country.

NZMS has a long history of working with records relating to New Zealand’s service personnel. As part of the WW100 commemorations, we partnered with Archives New Zealand to digitise over 14,000 of the 104,000 service records held in their care. That initiative also included a number of significant historical record sets, such as:

The NZEF Chronicles (1916–1919) – five volumes, approximately A4 in size, totalling around 1,472 pages

WWI Pension Rolls – smaller volumes documenting veterans’ entitlements

The Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (1941–1950) – 16 volumes comprising approximately 3,254 pages

Much like the Roll of Honour, these collections ranged from A4 to A3 in size, were generally robust and legible, and well-suited for high-resolution preservation-standard digitisation. The COVID-19 pandemic later underscored the importance of accessible national digital records, and the NZ Roll of Honour stood out as a particularly significant collection that had not yet been digitised, until now.

The Roll of Honour itself comprises five volumes, each recording the names of New Zealanders who have died in service to their country. The first four volumes span nearly a century, from the Second Boer War (1899–1902) through to the Vietnam War (1955–1975). The fifth volume continues to honour those who have fallen in recent conflicts, mainly in peacekeeping roles. Occasionally, individuals from the two World Wars are added to the fifth volume if they were previously omitted.  This is largely due to administrative challenges in the post-war years.

Roll of Honour on display in the Hall of Memories, pages are turned regularly or opened at specific pages from time to time

Challenges in digitising The New Zealand Roll of Honour

In our initial conversations about digitising the Roll of Honour, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage team shared a number of thoughtful ideas aimed at ensuring the project was carried out with respect, dignity, and care. This resonated deeply with Andy Fenton, whose own military background and decades of experience working with records of this kind shaped our approach.

One of the key requirements of the project was to produce a true-to-life digital facsimile of each page. Just as important, however, was the need to make the text fully searchable – a task that required precise and respectful transcription of every name. From the outset, Becky Masters-Ramsay made it clear that transcription accuracy was not just a technical requirement, but a mark of respect for the individuals named in the volumes. We appreciated how strongly this perspective was expressed, and it guided our decisions throughout the project.

Transcription accuracy can be deceptively complex. While machine-learning algorithms can generate a basic “text dump” at relatively low cost – using tools like Adobe OCR, or ABBYY – the level of accuracy and structure required for a project of this significance demanded more.

As expectations rise around character-level precision, format preservation, and zone-specific layout fidelity, so too do the costs and complexity of transcription. These nuances were carefully weighed to ensure the final result was not only functional but fitting of the material’s mana.

Digitisation Process and Handling Challenges

Digitising the Roll of Honour came with a number of unique challenges, each requiring careful planning and a patient, respectful approach. The books themselves, while generally robust, included fragile pages, particularly at the end of some volumes, which required extra care during handling. Given the significance of the material, minimal handling was a key principle, with our team using gloves and taking time to ensure the volumes were not stressed or exposed unnecessarily.

The book cradle used to support the volumes was carefully selected, and aligning the pages correctly for capture added to the overall time needed, especially as some volumes tended to shift when pages were turned. We also faced the challenge of placing visual targets (for colour, scale, and organisational reference) in every shot. These targets were essential for quality control but difficult to position consistently given the natural movement of the book across multiple spreads.

Environmental factors added another layer of complexity. While working in our Heritage Materials Imaging Facility (HMIF), situated within the secure Archives NZ building, we mitigated risks, for example, sprinkler systems, using plastic sheeting while securely stored in custom-made boxes, to ensure the best protection of the taonga.

Throughout the process, we applied rigorous quality checks to ensure no pages were missed, and every detail right down to the metadata, was faithfully and carefully captured.

Logistics of transporting the books to HMIF

We understood the significance of these records, and with the digitisation work to be carried out at the HMIF inside Archives New Zealand’s Mulgrave Street headquarters, it was essential to ensure robust protocols were in place. Together with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, we agreed on a formal process for transferring custody of the Roll of Honour volumes into NZMS care. We also liaised with the appropriate staff at Archives New Zealand to ensure they were fully informed that these taonga would be temporarily housed on-site under NZMS’s stewardship.

The volumes were kept in custom-built shock-proof enclosures, in a locked room that could only be accessed by a select few, under water/dust protective layers.  

Independent Appraisal of the Collection

With this precious taonga temporarily housed at our HMIF, Stephanie Smit recognised a valuable opportunity for a Conservator to conduct an independent appraisal of the collection and offer expert guidance on its condition, handling, and long-term care. Anna Whitehead was approached.

As Andy put it, having a professional conservator review the Roll of Honour volumes was a genuinely eye-opening experience:

“That was super-informative… Anna is impressive! I love how much the Conservator sees when they review volumes like that!”

Naturally, when conservators and cultural heritage professionals gather, the conversation often turns to storage environments and Anna’s insights sparked important reflections for our team.

“Another take-home for Stephanie & I, was the mention of the IPM—or Integrated Pest Management—for the Hall of Memories, and the Carillon for that matter.”

Anna’s appraisal prompted further discussion at NZMS about the need to review environmental controls in spaces like the Hall of Memories from a continuous, 24/7 perspective, and across weeks, months, seasons. For materials such as paper, books, artworks, metals, and especially textiles (including flags, ensigns, colours, and uniforms) stable environmental conditions are essential to long-term preservation.

One visible concern was the fading on the covers of all five volumes, indicating prolonged light exposure. Anna noted that this was not unusual for items on permanent display. She also observed that the pages recording those who fell during the Vietnam War, at the back of Volume Four had been “tipped on”. That is, glued rather than stitched into the spine. A small but significant detail for future conservation planning.

Closing Thoughts

Projects such as this inspire broader thinking and reflection. While paper records preserve individual names with care and dignity, they do not easily reveal connections between those who may have fallen on the same day, in the same theatre of war, or who came from the same family or town. By contrast, a linked digital database opens up new possibilities for discovery – allowing researchers, whānau, and future generations to trace patterns, stories, and relationships that might otherwise remain hidden.

An online version – or even community engagement software – can support this kind of interaction, enabling the creation of rich narratives around individuals. As our colleagues at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage have noted, it also creates an opportunity for descendants to “claim” their relative in a respectful and authoritative way – perhaps placing a digital poppy or other symbol of remembrance to continue their legacy.

As Andy mused:

“We could connect what Auckland War Memorial Museum does using Online Cenotaph, with a view to linking to that information too, if permitted. Likewise with our National Army Museum community engagement site, and the Navy Museum, and the Air Force Museum websites. This project is also timely given the emphasis on New Zealand history in the school curriculum since 2022.”

Finally, it is vital that we future-proof the core data, ensuring it remains adaptable for new uses and technologies. Sadly, the need to update the Roll of Honour will likely continue, as New Zealand servicemen and servicewomen continue to take part in global theatres of war.

This is, and always has been, a living document – and as we move into a digital age, we are inevitably faced with the question: which version becomes the official record – the paper, or the digital?