Queen’s Redoubt
Detail of overview map of the main conflicts in the New Zealand Wars.
Case study
Queen’s Redoubt visitor centre displays
In 2017 we were approached to assist the Queen’s Redoubt Trust - owner of the site of former Queen’s Redoubt in Pokeno - with a funding proposal for displays in their newly built Visitor Centre. The Trust wanted to tell the story of the Redoubt itself, the Waikato Invasion and the New Zealand Wars as a whole. The ambition of the Trust was to become a valuable resource for education around this pivotal period in New Zealand’s history. Snapper Graphics had previous experience with complex projects: our work on the Timber Trail and Auckland’s First World War commemorations had given us useful insights in how to tackle large heritage interpretation projects.
Context
Queen’s Redoubt was built at the end of The Great South Road, the military road that was built in preparation of the Invasion of the Waikato. The site sits near the Maungatawhiri river, which at the time was the border between pakeha controlled land and the Waikato. The Redoubt was designed to hold varying amounts of troops and was often surrounded by tent camps. Now, the site is quite humble, easy to miss.
Parts of the original Redoubt defensive ditches and earth walls are still present, and have been restored by Trust volunteers. A new timber building was modelled on the type of barracks that were here when the Redoubt was in use. The building’s interior is largely clad in plywood. This is where we were asked to create the exhibition - the brief included two key statements: ‘we want 10-12 panels around the walls’, and ‘we want this to become the key resource for learning about the New Zealand Wars’.
Concept development
We started with a plan - making the Queen’s Redoubt the heart of the exhibition, and building the other stories around it. We decided against a prescribed, chronological layout, instead opting for an open flow through the space. The initial focus will be on the 3D model of the Redoubt in its heyday - from there, people will disperse around the space, picking up the different stories that provide context. This free flowing layout is especially useful for school groups, it will avoid congestion in the limited space.
Queen’s Redoubt as the centrepiece
Snapper Graphics illustrator Mike Codling seized the opportunity to finally apply his favourite pastime - model making - to one of our projects. He researched, planned, and painstakingly built the entire model from scratch. The barracks walls, roofing, windows and details were laser-cut to Mike’s custom design. Standard historic figurines were adapted to reflect the correct military kit. The model was finished with a bespoke stand with interpretive labels and a perspex hood.
Around the model we created two heavy, round walls, which provide detail of the role of the redoubt during the Waikato Invasion. A timeline lists all relevant events, each with a brief explanation and key images. This timeline paints a full picture of how this military base was used in the period of 1862-1864 and beyond.
Around the walls
The surrounding exhibition walls cover themes like the period before the wars, the reasons for the violence, the different ways pākehā and māori adjusted their warfare to the conditions and the aftermath of the wars.
There are only very limited artefacts in the Trust’s collection, so most of the displays are signs and screen displays.
A theme that is not usually shown is how the British army arranged its food supplies in the field - a small section of the displays is dedicated to this.
Impression of how Māori organised themselves at the time.
Much emphasis was placed on a balanced representation - showing the manipulation that lead to the invasion and subsequent confiscation of large tracts of fertile land. A ‘wall of tears’ was created to show how the Waikato Invasion impacted Māori since the invasion. Below is a view of some of the ‘tears’, superimposed over the apology text from the 1995 settlement between the Crown and Waikato Tainui.
NZ Wars epub
The Trust was keen to include and overview of all the New Zealand Wars - potentially adding a large amount of signage to the exhibits. We instead opted for a combination of a large wall-mounted overview map, combined with an interactive book, presented on two I-pads. The e-pub allows users to browse the conflicts via a timeline and map.
Click the image below to browse this image-rich document. This resource will also be available for schools and can be accessed online here.
Outdoors as well
We created a number of outdoor signs to give visitors an overview of the main features of the Redoubt. This is particularly useful when the visitor centre is closed and visitors want to have a look around.
Visiting
Check the Queen’s Redoubt Trust website for current visiting hours, or call to make an appointment. The Trust is looking for volunteers to help man the place, if you’re interested, contact secretary Ian Barton:
Credits
Client: Queen’s Redoubt Trust
Design: Snapper Graphics - Jan Ramp, Mike Codling and Vibeke Brethouwer
Image research: Snapper Graphics - Jackie O’Brien
Text: Snapper Graphics - Alex Stone, in collaboration with the Trust
Construction: Brian Harris
Signs: Brave Design
