He Hōia Ahau – I Am Soldier

He Hōia Ahau – I Am Soldier is a photography exhibition by Craig Andrew Madsen.

For close to 175 years, and from every corner of our country, communities and families have gifted their sons and daughters to Ngāti Tūmatauenga – the New Zealand Army.

For many, the first step off the bus at Waiouru Military Camp represents a journey that was started generations ago with parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, having started the tradition of service in their families.

For some, this is a step into the unknown, but for all, there will be incredible challenges and immense reward as they transition from the life they knew as a civilian into that of a member of the New Zealand Army.

This exhibition showcases the profound changes each of the recruits and officer cadets go through during their first weeks and months at Waiouru Military Camp.

The environment is unique – both spectacular and challenging, as the newest members of the New Zealand Army test their mental and physical strength, resilience, and resolve under the shadow of Mount Ruapehu. The changes that each person experiences in this time are profound.

It is this training that builds the character required to be a member of New Zealand’s Army.

He Hōia Ahau captures this, through the eyes of a civilian photographer.

Take pause while viewing the spectacular environment of the Central Plateau, or the reality of garrison life captured by photographer Craig Andrew Madsen, and look closely at the faces of these young people. Note the tangible difference between the first and last photographs. Young people walk taller, stand straighter, and hold themselves with pride as they represent their new profession of arms, and their new family within Ngāti Tūmatauenga.

Craig Andrew Madsen is a photographer based in Ohakune, New Zealand. Craig has been a photographer for more than 25 years, working both in New Zealand and abroad.

Although Craig has an extensive knowledge base across a wide spectrum of photography, he has in recent years focused more on long term documentary style bodies of work.