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Dear Editor
On Sunday’s RNZ show Media Watch there was an item about an article on a Waffen SS volunteer who lied to Immigration when he came to New Zealand after the war.
The item was talking about the article in the June edition of North and South magazine. So I went and purchased a copy today. The cover is yellow in colour with a picture of a man facing a Mountain with his hand behind his back holding a NAZI flag.
The story title is, The Nazi who built Mt Hutt… The subtitle is The untold story of how a former Waffen SS soldier lied his way into New Zealand – and got away with it.
He is one of the key people who set up the sky field on Mt Hutt west of Christchurch.
The article is 18 pages long and is a very comprehensive look at the man and the failure of media in the past to follow up leads and comments that Willi himself made about his military past.
Born an Austrian he volunteered for the Waffen SS. The article includes a copy of his registration form as an Alien made in 1953 to the NZ Police and has another document he supplied to NZ Immigration in 1952 stating he had never been a member of an illegal organisation. The SS was an illegal organisation part of the German Nazi military establishment.
The article is well researched here and in Germany by Kiwis with the help of their friends. Newsroom has an article with the title The Detail: The Alpine hero with a dark Past. Written by Sharon Brettkelly who is the co-host of Newsrooms daily podcast, this article has a link to the podcast which is made jointly with Radio NZ. This item is published in Newsrooms week in review published on Sunday 30 May 2021.
Mr Huber died in August 2020 and there had been media coverage before and after his death. TVNZ did a Sunday Programme on him in 2017. The NZ Jewish Council want Mt Hutt’s owners to take down all reference to him on the sky field. The sky run with his name “Huber’s Run” has been changed by the company but that is the only concession to the Jewish Community and other critics.
Some people in Canterbury want him left alone and that the focus should be on his time here and his work on Mt Hutt. It has been reported in the past that 40 Nazis other than Huber have got into New Zealand and their names and records have been kept undercover.
I am of the opinion that all Nazis should be named and their story told. I will bet that like Huber most of them told lies to get into New Zealand.
I understand that TVNZ has taken down the programme from its website.
I suggest that you buy the June edition of North and South as it provides the best in-depth coverage of the Nazi Willi Huber.
The Canterbury province has a long history of being the home of Nazi’s and others on the far right. But that is another story for another time.
I recommend you buy the June 2021 edition of North and South for two reasons. It is the best article on the life and times of Willi Huber and if you are a historian it is a must buy.
Signed
J. McCormick
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