An aviation historian says a national Erebus memorial will ensure the crash and what was learned from it will never be forgotten.
The design that will become the Erebus memorial for those who died in the crash in Antarctica in 1979. Photo: Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Three million dollars will be spent on the memorial to the 257 people who died when an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight crashed on Mount Erebus in Antarctica in 1979.
The final design of Te Paerangi Ataata - Sky Song will create a path out to the horizon at Dove-Myer Robinson Park in the Auckland suburb of Parnell.
Richard Waugh Photo: Supplied
A historian, the Reverend Richard Waugh, who began calling for a memorial in 2016, says it is significant all the names will be displayed in one place. The finished work will help keep alive memories of New Zealand's worst aviation crash, he says.
"The elegance I think of the memorial, the design, interaction for children and people of all ages will help keep alive the memory of the accident and the learnings that came from it."
The finished memorial will be unveiled in May next year.