Pay your respects at these Anzac Day events and services across New Zealand. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Pay your respects at these Anzac Day events and services across New Zealand. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Every year on April 25, the country pauses to honour the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who served and sacrificed in times of war.
During this time, communities gather to commemorate those who have served, fallen, and are still sacrificing for the sake of peace and safety through moving services, parades, and community events. Veterans are given space to reflect and hold space.
Here are a few services where you can pay your respects, and ways to be part of this significant day.
Auckland
Details: Friday, April 25, 5.45am atTāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, Parnell, Auckland
The parade starts at 5.45am, with a service at the Court of Honour at 6am. During the service, Vanguard Military School will perform a haka to commemorate the fields of remembrance.
Paid and free parking is available around the Domain but it will be busy and several roads will be closed so it’s best to arrive early or park nearby and walk.
Visit the Our Auckland website for more information on services around the city.
Anzac Day dawn service at the Cenotaph at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Christchurch
Details: Friday, April 25, 6.15am at Cathedral Square, Central City Christchurch
Commemorations will begin at 6.15am when war veterans gather at the Worcester Bridge and parade the short distance to Cathedral Square for a traditional dawn service. The New Zealand Army Band will perform and conclude by playing the Last Post. After this, there will be a minute’s silence and then the singing of the New Zealand national anthem.
Details: Friday, April 25, 6am at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, Buckle St, Te Aro, Wellington
Held at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, this dawn service will be broadcast live by TVNZ 1 and RNZ National. Veterans and people attending the service will assemble Tasman St at 5.30am.
People at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington for Anzac Day National Service. Photo / Georgina Campbell
Hamilton
Details: Friday, April 25, 6am (Dawn Service) and 10am (Civic Service) at the Cenotaph, Memorial Park, Memorial Drive.
Hamilton will host two services, the Dawn Service at 6am and the Civic Service at 10am and big screens around the park will show both services.
At 5.50am, the parade will leave the corner of Victoria St and Anzac Parade and begin the 40-minute dawn service at 6am, followed by a performance by the Waikato Rivertones Chorus and Salvation Army Band. At 9.50am, the civic parade leaves the corner of Anzac Parade and Memorial Drive with a service from 10am to 11.15am, followed by performances from the Hamilton Brass Band and the Waikato Rivertones Chorus.
The corner of Memorial Drive and Anzac Parade will be filled with more than 5000 poppies, while the Fields of Remembrance Trust will place 350 white crosses in Memorial Park to commemorate Hamiltonians lost from April 24-26.
Hamilton's Anzac Day Services are expected to attract large crowds. Photo / Hamilton City Council
Tauranga
Details: Friday, April 25, at multiple locations in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga City Centre, Pāpāmoa, Te Puna, and Pyes Pā.
In Tauranga City Centre, the dawn service will be held at Tauranga RSA Cenotaph at 6am, while the Civic Memorial Service will start at 9am at Memorial Park.
In Mount Maunganui, the dawn service starts at 6am at Mount Maunganui Cenotaph, Marine Parade, opposite Mount Drury Reserve, Hopukiore. This is followed by the Civic Memorial Service, which starts at 9.30am, also at the Cenotaph.
In Pāpāmoa, the Pāpāmoa Memorial Dawn Service will start at 6am at the Pāpāmoa Memorial, Stella Place beach carpark, Pāpāmoa Beach Rd.
In Te Puna, the Tauranga Moana Tumatauenga Anzac Commemorations will start at 5.45am at the Poututerangi Marae, 26 Pitua Rd, Te Puna. Meanwhile, the Pyes Pā Remembrance Service will start at 11am at the Pyes Pā Cemetery.
The cenotaph at Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak
How to commemorate
Bake Anzac cookies
During World War I, soldiers on the front lines were sent care packages filled with sweet, buttery cookies. The unassuming treats were made with the soldiers’ wellbeing in mind, and prepared with ingredients with long shelf lives. Now, as part of Anzac Day celebrations, many households continue the tradition of baking Anzac cookies to commemorate the stories of those who served.
Anzac biscuits
Laying of wreaths and flowers
Across New Zealand, people gather at war memorials to lay wreaths or leave flowers as a sign of respect and remembrance. This tradition is one of the simplest ways you can honour the fallen who have sacrificed for the country. Even if you can’t attend a service, you can still leave flowers or a small handmade wreath privately at a local memorial or even on your doorstep.
Wearing poppies
The red poppy is the most recognisable symbol of Anzac Day. Its vibrant colour represents both the blood shed on battlefields and the enduring hope for peace. Wearing a poppy on your chest or collar on April 25 is a small but powerful act of remembrance that signals respect, solidarity, and gratitude. The Returned and Services’ Association (RSA) sells poppies in the lead up to Anzac Day, with donations supporting veterans and their families. Beyond buying a poppy from local RSA stalls, you can also donate online at rsa.org.nz/support-us/donate.
Flying the New Zealand flag at half-mast on Anzac Day symbolises national mourning and respect for those who died in service. This tradition has naval origins, where ships would lower their sails as a sign of respect for important people. The practice has been adopted inland over the years. In the global military custom, lowering the flag symbolises a nation’s collective grief and honour. For Anzac Day, flags stay at half-mast during the playing of the Last Post, and then raised to the top of the masthead for the Rouse.
The Ode
One of the most moving moments of any Anzac Day service is the recitation of The Ode. Taken from Laurence Binyon’s 1914 poem For the Fallen, these lines have become a universal part of Anzac commemorations in New Zealand and Australia. Veterans at the wreath-laying ceremonies recite The Ode in the official languages of New Zealand, while attendees collectively say the last part, “We will remember them”.
