Anzac Day, 25th April
On the 25th of April every year, New Zealanders and Australians pay tribute to the soliders who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand, and in New Zealand the word Anzac also has a meaning of Australian-New Zealand kinship.
25th April is the anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in 1915. Annual services remembering the dead of that campaign began as early as 1916 and now Anzac Day services have expanded to include all subsequent wars.
Commemorative services begin before dawn with a march by returned and service personnel to local war memorials. In New Zealand shops are not permitted to open until the afternoon. For details of local services, listen to radio announcements or get hold of the local newspaper.
If you are in Masterton in the Wairarapa region of the North Island, you may be interested in an Anzac Day WW1 Air Show. This event includes dogfights and tactical displays by the WW1 fighters, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft of Hood Aerodrome, plus barnstorming competitions and vintage vehicle rides.
View more information on the Anzac Day WW1 Air Show.
More Information
For more information about the roles played by the New Zealand armed forces, visit the following websites:
