25 April is the day of remembrance for the fallen of all wars, but specifically it commemorates the day Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) landed at Gallipoli in 1915.
For information about local Anzac Day services please go to the RSA website, www.rsa.org.nz
A new competition for Year 7 and 8 students will be announced shortly.
Anzac Messages 2011
From Rt Hon John Key
Prime Minister of New Zealand
On this day in 1915, the first group of brave young New Zealanders and Australians landed at Gallipoli, thousands of miles from their homes and families. They could not have foreseen what Gallipoli would come to represent in the New Zealand psyche.
The Gallipoli campaign is a formative and tragic moment in our history. More than 2700 New Zealanders lost their lives and remain forever in the tiny area of the peninsula that now bears their name – Anzac Cove. Many more were injured.
The suffering and hardships of Gallipoli, and the campaigns that followed on the Western Front in France and Belgium, helped us develop a distinct national identity. We emerged confident in our beliefs, ideals and principles, and we forged an enduring bond with Australia.
I was reminded of that bond when I visited Gallipoli last year. It felt as natural for me to share in the memorial of Australians who gathered together at Lone Pine as it did to gather with the New Zealanders at Chunuk Bair.
Our men fought side-by-side on those foreign battlefields, so far from home. Together they fought for a set of ideals and for the freedom of their fellow countrymen. And together they perished.
Their spirit lives on today. Together, our defence forces, police, and development efforts, make a major contribution to the stability of our region and our world. On the wider international stage, our two countries’ voices are closely aligned and are more influential as a result of this.
In the wake of recent tragedies in both our nations, we have been quick to stand alongside our trans-Tasman neighbours and offer each other support.
The Anzac story continues to be an inspiration to all of us. Today we set aside all differences in politics, beliefs, and aspirations. We pay tribute to the Anzacs, share sorrow at the loss of life, and reflect on our nation’s history. The extraordinary Anzacs will never be forgotten.
From Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand GNZM, QSO
Greetings in the languages of the Realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean and Tokelauan: Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni.
25 April 1915 saw the first significant engagement of New Zealand troops in the First World War as the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the Anzacs as they are better known, landed at Gallipoli. By the end of the day more than 600 New Zealanders had been killed or wounded—more than in the three years of the South African (Boer) War. The First World War went on to claim 18,000 New Zealand lives. Along with nearly 50,000 wounded, this was an enormous price for a country of one million people.
Every town and city has a memorial in honour of those who went to war and those that never came home. As very few of the soldiers who died overseas were returned to New Zealand, the memorials were an important place for their families and friends to lay wreaths and contemplate their loss.
Successive generations have continued to gather on Anzac Day and commemorate those who died fighting for their country. Today communities will hold ceremonies and services at memorials, halls, churches and cemeteries throughout New Zealand.
We honour those who fought at Gallipoli and we remember the sacrifices made by all New Zealanders who have served in times of conflict and war. In May 2011 we will also mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle for Crete in the Second World War. In Crete, as at Gallipoli, New Zealand and Australian soldiers fought alongside each other in the Mediterranean.
With the passing years it is important to recognise the veterans still among us. Through them we have a direct link back in time to events that have shaped our identity as a nation.
As we pay tribute to the efforts of past generations in previous wars, our thoughts are with members of our current armed services. On this Anzac Day, New Zealand servicemen and women are serving in a number of locations overseas. These men and women are working to bring other nations the peace and freedom that we enjoy here in New Zealand.
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.