Phil Goff lays wreath at Passchendaele commemorations in first act as Super City mayor

Phil Goff's first public event as Auckland Mayor was to lay a wreath at the Passchendaele 99th Commemoration at Auckland Museum today.

Goff described the event as a momentous day - in a single day on October 12, 1917 New Zealand suffered the worst loss of life in its military history.

By the end of the day, more than 840 men had died in the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium.

Goff said: "We stand on the shoulders of that generation and the generation of the Second World War who sacrificed so much for us."

Mayor elect Phil Goff and other dignitaries are dwarfed by the names of the fallen. Photo / Peter Meecham

Goff told the Herald it was a very moving time for him. He lost two great uncles in the Great War.

Today, Goff resigned as a Labour MP and fulfilled his first official duty.

His first public address as mayor will be at the opening ceremony of the Diwali Festival in Aotea Square on Saturday.