Kane Te Tai's family gathered in Auckland to unveil his headstone at Waikumete Cemetery.
Kane Te Tai's family gathered in Auckland to unveil his headstone at Waikumete Cemetery.
The family of Kiwi veteran Kane Te Tai gathered in Auckland to unveil the plaque commemorating the one-year anniversary of his death while fighting in Ukraine.
Roughly 150 people, including Te Tai’s parents and his daughter, gathered at Waikumete Cemetery yesterday morning in the light rain to unveil his plaque in the Quartermaster’s section of the cemetery.
His father Keith Te Tai gave a speech to the crowd, saying Kane was someone who always stood up and did things rather than waiting around.
“We’re very proud of him.”
His daughter Autumn helped unveil the headstone to show Kane fought in Afghanistan with the New Zealand Defence Force.
“He thought a lot about other people, sometimes a lot more than himself,” she said.
The 38-year-old, affectionally called Turtle, was killed in action on March 20, 2023.
Protect a Volunteer director Rachel Jamison who attended the funeral on behalf of Te Tai’s unit told the Herald she has done the fundraising for several families to repatriate fallen sons.
New Zealand veteran Kane Te Tai was killed while fighting in Ukraine in March 2023. Photo / David Williams
“I never meet the families, and I never see the result from it but [today’s unveiling] is a good reminder that there are humans and families behind this that it really matters to.”
He was the third New Zealander to have been killed in Ukraine since the war began.
Off-duty New Zealand soldier Dominic Abelen was killed in action in August 2022.
New Zealand aid volunteer Dr Andrew Bagshaw, 47, was also killed alongside British volunteer Christopher Parry, 28, while trying to rescue an elderly woman in an area of intense military action in Soledar, when their car was hit by an artillery shell in January.
The announcement was made to coincide with the two-year anniversary of war breaking out and includes an extension to the deployment of up to 97 NZDF personnel to Europe to train Ukrainian soldiers and provide logistical support. The support brings New Zealand’s total aid to Ukraine to more than $100m.
The funding includes $6.5m to the United Kingdom-administered International Fund for Ukraine to procure weapons and ammunition for Ukraine; $7m in humanitarian assistance to support Ukrainians affected by the war, including those who have been displaced to neighbouring countries, and $3m to the World Bank’s Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund.
