There were emotional scenes at Anzac Cove as New Zealand's veteran’s minister toured a number of battle sites on the eve of commemorations in Gallipoli.
Meka Whaitiri broke down when she visited a Māori battle site where some of the fiercest fighting took place.
Her visit comes as the dawn service in Turkey returns after a two-year hiatus.
More than 2300 Kiwi troops are buried on the hills above the Gallipoli Peninsula.
“I’ve had great grandfathers that fought in the first world war, I've had uncles fight in the second world war in the Māori battalion and are buried in Italy. My dad who was a Korean veteran who passed away six years ago. This would have meant a lot for him,” Whaitiri said.
Acknowledgement too the fight for freedom that the Anzacs endured is a living reality for the Ukrainian people.
“While we’re here reflecting what transpired and shaped our nation here in Gallipoli, today in this international climate we always pray for peace and I know that the Turkish government are doing what they can to play a peace-making role between Ukraine and Russia,” Whaitiri said.
The Māori contingent was 400 strong when it landed at Anzac Cove in 1915.
“Their job was to go forward at night and to pinch out very small Turkish outposts which were guarding the foothill up at Chunuk Bair which was the objective of the offensive. They did that job magnificently, it was described as one of the outstanding feat of arms of the whole campaign,” says NZDF historian Matthew Buck.
As the final touches are being put on the Anzac commemorative site, the physical reminders of a painful past now help educate and bring people together.
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