Far North communities to gather for Anzac Day

Community groups across Te Tai Tokerau are preparing to pay their respects at one of many services planned for Anzac Day this Thursday 25 April.

More than 16 services are organised in the Far North for those who wish to commemorate fallen soldiers and service members past and present.

Dawn services start at 5.30am at Mitimiti, followed by 5.45am services at Kerikeri Domain, and Kaikohe Memorial Hall. Many other services are being held around the Far North. See below for times and locations.

Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the landing of the first Australian and New Zealand soldiers on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey in 1915. It was the site of New Zealand’s first major battle of World War I. More than 2700 New Zealand and 8700 Australian soldiers’ lives were lost.

Te Hiku Museum in Kaitāia is paying tribute to Te Hiku’s fallen soldiers by featuring a collaborative work, They Shall Not Grow Old, by historian and author, Kaye Dragicevich and retired colonel, Graeme Wilson. It uncovers the previously untold stories of 115 fallen soldiers from the area, exploring their diverse backgrounds and wartime experiences.

The pair’s extensive research of war records, diaries, and letters revealed deeper layers of narratives. Supported by expert Ross Beddows and retired officers Graeme Wilson and Jordi Garcia, the soldiers’ journeys from enlistment to the battlefields of Gallipoli and the Western Front could be pieced together.

For more information on this display at the Te Hiku Museum see here.

Below are some of the services planned for the Far North, according to the Returned and Services Association (RSA) website and information received. You can also search the RSA website for a service near you - Find an Anzac Day Service 2024 (rsa.org.nz)

Far North services

Mitimiti -5.30am at Te Kura o Mātihetihe, followed by a light breakfast.

Kaikohe - 5.45am assemble New World car park before proceeding to Kaikohe Memorial Hall.

Kerikeri - 5.45am, Kerikeri Domain, veteran’s breakfast after the Dawn Service at the Homestead Hotel; and civil service at 9.45am.

Mangamuka - 6am, Mangamuka Marae, breakfast at the marae post service.

Whirinaki - 6am, Whirinaki Monument.

Kaitāia - 6am, Cenotaph, Matthews Ave.

Russell - 6am at Cenotaph, followed by civic service at 11am on Village Green.

Kāeo - 6am, Whangaroa Memorial Hall, followed by a 10am community service.

Kawakawa - 6am, Cenotaph, Johnson Park, followed by a civil service assembling at 8.55am at Te Hononga and marching to Cenotaph at 9.15am.

Paihia - 6.20am at Paihia waterfront, poppy laying at 7am at Paihia Cemetery.

Waimā - 8am, Waimā Monument.

Rāwene - 9am, Rāwene RSA Cemetery, refreshments at Rāwene Golf Club after service.

Broadwood - 11am, Broadwood Hall, Light refreshments following service.

Ōpononi - 11am, Manea Footsteps of Kupe carpark, RSA open post service.

Mangōnui - 11am, Waterfront Dr War Memorial.

Ōkaihau - 11am, Ōkaihau Community Hall.