People in Christchurch are being urged to turn out to thank the Defence Force for its service in the city.
The Army will end its 857 days of running the cordons, as they finally come down today.
This afternoon around 120 members of the Army, Navy and Air Force will be thanked personally by Prime Minister John Key.
While the Army manned the cordons, members of the Navy helped bring supplies to the city and the Air Force played a significant role ferrying people and goods in the immediate aftermath of the quakes.
They'll be officially dismissed from duty at 2pm in Worcester Boulevard, and the public is encouraged to be there to offer thanks.
