New Zealand Public Holidays
Remembrance

New Zealand public holiday's don't come more emotionally charged than Anzac Day.

Anzac Day honours members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. Anzac Day remains one of the most important and sombre national occasions in New Zealand. It is rare for two sovereign countries to share the same national day and the importance is recognised with both nations names in the title of the holiday.

Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.

Today, Anzac Day holds services before dawn beginning with a march by service men and women to the local war memorial. Members of the local community then join them for the Dawn Service.

The assault on the Gallipoli Peninsula began on 25 April 1915, as an attempt by Allied Command to weaken the strategic position of Germany, Turkey and their allies in the region. It was New Zealand's first major engagement of World War I.

Since the first anniversary of the Gallipoli landing held in 1916, Anzac Day has evolved to remember the sacrifices made in subsequent wars. Anzac Day also encompasses new understandings of the impact of armed conflict on those who have served their country.

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