Although Anzac Day has its origin at Türkiye’s Gallipoli Peninsula, today this occasion provides an opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all personnel who have served inNewZealand’s interests over the years.
More than 30,000NewZealandmilitary personnel have been killed in wars and conflicts since 1915.
Across major cities and rural communities from Northland to the deep south,NewZealanders will soon be gathering for dawn services this morning to spark a day of national collective remembrance.
On his final Anzac Day as Chief ofDefenceForce, Air Marshal Kevin Short will attend both the Dawn Service and National Commemoration Service at Wellington’s Pukeahu National War Memorial.
“It fills me with pride when I think of all the service and sacrificeour personnel, and importantly their whānau, have contributed to theNewZealandDefenceForce, and toNewZealandin general,” Air Marshal Short said.
“From those who landed on the shores of Gallipoli, to our servicemen and servicewomen posted abroad today protecting and upholding the international rules-based order, and values intrinsically important to Kiwis - we remember and acknowledge them all.
“On a personal note, representing theDefenceForceat this commemoration has been incredibly moving, and something I will forever feel privileged to have experienced. And being able to mark my final Anzac Day in uniform alongside our friends and colleagues from across the Tasman is truly significant for me.”
Air Marshal Short will be joined at Pukeahu by his AustralianDefenceForcecounterpart, General Angus Campbell, who is marking the occasion in Wellington.
“It is an honour to spend Anzac Day inNewZealand. The AustralianDefenceForceis proud to continue our long and deep history of service alongside our close neighbour and allyNewZealand, in support of a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” General Campbell said.
“Anzac Day holds a very special place in the bond between Australia andNewZealand; it symbolises the enduring importance of our shared military history, and commemorates the courage and sacrifice of those who have contributed to the freedom of our nations.”
NZDFpersonnel are also providing ceremonial support around the country today.
And all three armed services – Navy, Army and AirForce- as well as personnel from the ADF will be represented at Go Media Stadium, where more than 150 uniformed servicemen and servicewomen will perform ceremonial duties and represent theDefenceForceat the OneNewZealandWarriors’ NRL fixture against the Gold Coast Titans.
In Australia, theNZDFwill have been represented in services across every state and territory in the lead up to - and on - Anzac Day.
Military advisor to theNewZealandHigh Commission in Canberra, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Mutu, said the importance of the ADF andNZDFrelationship cannot be underestimated.
“The ANZAC spirit forged during the landings at Gallipoli is as strong now as it was then. Further, the broaderdefencerelationship is one that is open, based on mutual respect and is enduring,” he said.
Further afield, anNZDFcontingent, along with personnel from other nations who contributed to the battles on the Gallipoli Peninsula in the First World War, is gathering in Türkiye, where they’re due to hold a number of roles in commemorative events.
In the Republic of Korea, the 12NZDFpersonnel deployed to the United Nations Command and its Military Armistice Commission will attend a joint Australian andNewZealanddawn service at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul.
ThreeNZArmy officers posted to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan will gather in Juba for Anzac Day, where they will hold a short service followed by breakfast alongside their ADF colleagues. With Anzac biscuits a rare, if not impossible, find in South Sudan, local caterers have risen to the challenge of baking their own.
In the United Kingdom,NZDFpersonnel who are training Armed Forces of Ukraine recruits will conduct a service at Codford Cemetery in Wiltshire, where 66NewZealanders from World War One are buried. The service will include representatives from theNZDF, UK, Australia and Ukraine.
The four personnel serving with the multinational Solomon Islands International AssistanceForcewill attend a dawn service in Honiara, while personnel deployed to the Middle East will attend commemorations with their ADF counterparts in the region.
