ANZAC Day, Thursday, April 25, is a significant day when New Zealanders can officially remember and acknowledge those who have gone before them.

Local Civic commemorations will begin with the Kaiuku Marae, Mahia, dawn service at 5:45am, followed by the Taihoa Marae service at 8:30am, the Frasertown Civic Service at 10am, and the Wairoa Civic Service at 11:45am.

ANZAC Day is a time to reflect on the service that many people unselfishly gave to their country. It is a time when people can pay their tributes and remember those who went before us.

There will be additional community ANZAC services held at Mohaka and Nuhaka.

The Mohaka dawn service will be held at Waipapa-a-iwi Marae. At 5am, a march for serving service people returned service people, and those commemorating service people will take place, leaving from the old gum tree on the Mohaka Coach Road.

The ANZAC address will be given by Rev. Graham Sunderland and Te Kura o Mohaka school students will also take part.The Cenotaph at Waipapa-a-iwi was erected over 100 years ago in “Grateful memory of the men of the Mohaka district Māori and Pakeha who served during the Great War.”

The service will be followed by a gunfire breakfast. Everyone is encouraged to attend and commemorate those who have gone before us. The service will go ahead regardless of weather conditions.

This ANZAC Day will be significant for the Kahungunu Marae at Nuhaka, which will celebrate its 75^th anniversary.

The marae was conceived post-WWII as a war memorial and opened in 1949. The Kahungunu Memorial Wharewhakairo was built as a monument to the men from the Nuhaka and Mahia areas who served their country in the two major World Wars and succeeding wars.

Young war veterans returned from the war in Egypt and Europe and carved many of the whakairo (carvings) in the marae under the tutelage of master carver Pine Taiapa. One of the marae carvings is of the unknown soldier, recognising all those who died in the war.

The Kahungunu Marae Anzac Day Service will be at 10am on April 25.

15 April 2024

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