Emotions ran high during a solemn rededication and remembrance ceremony held on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Photo / Sergeant Vanessa Parker
Emotions ran high during a solemn rededication and remembrance ceremony held on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Photo / Sergeant Vanessa Parker
A Māori Battalion camp at Gallipoli has been officially recognised in a rededication ceremony attended by over 100 Defence Force personnel, descendants of former soldiers and Defence Minister Andrew Little at the World War I battle site on Sunday.
It comes as military veterans, serving personnel and the public gathered at dawn services across New Zealand today to commemorate Anzac Day.
The 477-strong Māori Contingent of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force arrived on the Peninsula on 3 July 1915 making camp below No.1 Outpost, occupied by 10 Australian Light Horse at the time. The campsite became known as the “New Zealand Māori Pah.”
Defence Force personnel perform a Haka at the end of the ceremony. Photo / Sergeant Vanessa Parker
The unit is the first Māori contingent to fight on foreign soil and is remembered for bravery and sacrifice during the assault on Chunuk Bair. By the time of the evacuation of Allied Forces from the Peninsula, only 60 men remained – the rest either dead or evacuated as battle casualties or due to sickness.
A member of the Wellington Mounted Rifles, who joined the battalion for an attack on Table Top, wrote: “The hymn ‘Jesus Lover of My Soul’ [Au e Ihu] was sung in Māori, to a tune of their own. The parts blended beautifully. The chaplain in a splendid voice sang the solo, the rest supplying the obligate... My squadron stood around silent listening intently. There was something about… the tune and the scene that brought tears to the eyes, and yet as we listened we felt that they and we could go through anything with that beautiful influence behind us.”
Descendants of those who fought at the site at Gallipoli attended the ceremony. Photo / Sergeant Vanessa Parker
The hymn was sung at the ceremony as it was that night before the assault on August 6, 1915.
During the service, a replica King’s Colour of the Pioneer (Māori) Battalion was paraded and the Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Kevin Short, addressed those who had gathered for the emotional service.
“This place has great historical significance for Māori, and to everyone from every country with connections to this place,” he said.
“We are grateful to the Gallipoli Historic Parks Directorate for making the installation of the information sign that marks the site possible.”
Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Kevin Short, addressed those who had gathered for the emotional service. Photo / Sergeant Vanessa Parker
Following the service on Sunday, a stirring haka was performed by the NZDF Māori Cultural Element, which echoed through the natural amphitheatre, mirroring scenes from 108 years earlier.
The NZDF contingent is in Türkiye to support Anzac Day commemorations at the Anzac commemorative site and New Zealand memorial service at Chunuk Bair.
Back home, today marked the return of large-scale memorial events across the country after the Covid-19 pandemic saw years of restrictions on public events and parades.
The New Zealand Defence Force said personnel would be marking the day both at home and abroad, paying tribute to those who have gone before and thanking those still making huge efforts for a better world.
Large crowds were expected to gather at the central Auckland Anzac Dawn Service at the Auckland Domain.
Acting Chief of Defence Force Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies, who took part in the Dawn Service and National Commemoration at Pukeahu National War Memorial in Wellington, said Anzac Day was a time to reflect on the past, while also thinking about those currently serving.
“Although Anzac Day has its origin in the First World War, we now remember the service and sacrifice of all personnel who have served in New Zealand’s interests, as well as the sacrifices made by their whānau.
“The First World War was widely seen in New Zealand and elsewhere as the ‘war to end all wars’. But as we all know it was not and our world is still ravaged, in Ukraine and elsewhere, by war and conflict,” Davies said.
“Today let us all think about the continuing need to stand up to those who have no regard for human rights or international law. We should also consider what we can all do in the ongoing struggle for a better, peaceful world.”
