The new government is being called on to do more to restore the graves of New Zealand's war dead.
Volunteers from the New Zealand Remembrance Army have cleaned-up more than 150,000 graves over the last six years but they believe it's work the government should be paying for.
Chief executive Simon Strombom, a former NZ Army Major who retired in 2009, said Australia pays for the upkeep of all veterans' graves but that's not the case in New Zealand where they have to scrimp and save.
"I think it's real simple. We need an Act of Parliament. We need a structure for the permission process. We need the Remembrance Army to fold into becoming the New Zealand War Graves Commission and maintaining the standards."
Veterans' Affairs maintains the graves of those buried in the service sections of public cemeteries and those who died in active service are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission through the Ministry of Culture and Heritage.
However about 155,000 other veterans who are buried elsewhere aren't covered. This includes those buried in family plots.
Many of those graves have fallen into a state of disrepair and that's where the Remembrance Army has stepped in to make sure the memories of those who served are not forgotten.
'We have to be consistent'
"It's quite sad. The military is about precision and uniformity and also about keeping things clean — and there's no difference between Beersheba and Blenheim, or Foxton and France. They're the same thing and we have to be consistent," Strombom said.
"We say on Anzac Day 'Lest we Forget' and we have forgotten."
Restoring a grave can take anywhere from just a few minutes to an hour. Volunteers do their best to contact families first and then work closely with masons from Veterans' Affairs to make sure they're following the right restoration process.
However a number of local councils are putting that work in jeopardy because they want the Remembrance Army to follow some health and safety requirements, and get consent from the descendants of every one of those who died before touching a gravesite.
According to Strombom that's often difficult if the veteran has a common name and the cemetery records are out of date.
One council Seven Sharp spoke to said, while they support the work of the Remembrance Army, it's imperative to get consent because the headstones are sacred to those who've lost a family member.
In the meantime, the Remembrance Army will continue its voluntary work restoring the gravesites of those whose lives were lost in war. But they're hoping the new government does more to help.
"We've heard stories of grandparents walking in and bursting into tears in the cemetery seeing a fully restored grave," Strombom said. "It's about respect, it's about national respect, and getting permission with 62 different councils can be frustrating, but the intent of the boys and the volunteers who do this, it's all about respect.
"They say you die twice. Once when you physically die and once when it's the last time that a person says your name. As a group we say we bring them back."
SHARE ME