Howard Kippenberger - Later Life

Later Life

In 1945, Kippenberger was offered the position of Editor-in-Chief of New Zealand's largest-ever publishing project, the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War. The New Zealand government had made initial plans for a published record of New Zealand's involvement in the war as early as 1943. Kippenberger, well respected across all branches of New Zealand's services, was championed by New Zealand's prime minister, Peter Fraser, as the person to coordinate the project. The resulting series of books was to be published by the War History Branch at the Department of Internal Affairs. By 1946, his work with the Reception Group was largely complete and he returned to New Zealand to take up his new position. Initially contracted for seven years from 1 July 1946, he would be involved with the project for the rest of his life. In his capacity as Editor-in-Chief, he guided the planning and production of volumes dedicated to specific campaigns, units and the war effort in general. Following a change in government he had to fight increasing budget and staff cuts, but by 1963 the War History Branch he had presided over for much of its life had produced 50 major volumes.

Kippenberger also found the time to write his own book, Infantry Brigadier, an account of his war time service. It was a work that began in 1944, as he worked with the Reception Group and it was largely complete by late 1946. Published in 1949 by Oxford University Press, it proved to be a critical and commercial success and was translated into seven languages.

In 1948, Kippenberger was knighted. He was also elected Dominion President of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association (RSA), a position he would hold until 1955. While serving as RSA president, he courted controversy by his outspoken opposition to the All Black tour of South Africa in 1949, on the basis of the exclusion of Maori players from the team. While forced to apologise for his remarks, he received much support from Maori veterans.

In April 1957, his wife's health deteriorated and she was hospitalised. Although seriously ill, she recovered sufficiently to be moved home. On 4 May 1957, while preparing for his wife's homecoming, Kippenberger complained of a headache and then collapsed. Taken to hospital in a coma, he died the next day of a cerebral haemorrhage. He was buried at Karori Cemetery in Wellington with full military honours.