Medal's special delivery earns thanks

Labour Party leader Andrew Little (left) gives Opotiki College student Caitlin Papuni-McLellan the war medal of her great-uncle in Canakkale, Turkey. Photo / Supplied

An Opotiki whanau have expressed their gratitude for the hand delivery of war medals to Turkey.

Caitlin Papuni-McLellan was named winner of the annual ANZ RSA Cyril Bassett VC Speech Competition earlier this year. The Opotiki College student had spoken about her great-uncle Kurei Papuni. Among her prizes, she won a trip to Gallipoli for the Anzac commemorations.

Private Kurei Papuni died at Gallipoli on August 6, 1915, while fighting with the first Maori contingent.

Her family discovered earlier this year that they had never received her great-uncle's 1967 Gallipoli Medallion and asked the New Zealand Defence Force for it to be issued posthumously, so she could hold it while she was delivering the speech. The medals arrived on Tuesday afternoon.

With a bit of organising, Labour Party leader Andrew Little managed to personally hand over the medals to the family at the ferry terminal in Canakkale on Friday morning (local time).

Caitlin's mother Annette was extremely grateful.

"On behalf of, not only Caitlin and ourselves, but for our community and memory of our fallen heroes, we thank you sincerely Andrew for the thoughtfulness of bringing our Uncle Kurei Papuni's medallion to Turkey on behalf our whanau," she said.

"For Caitlin to have this taonga is special to everyone. This journey has been an emotional journey for our whanau and to be standing in the middle of Cannakkale as you passed this taonga to Caitlin was a memory we will treasure and never forget. It's people such as yourself that make memorable moments even more special. We thank you sincerely," she said.