ANZAC Day
This week we recognise Anzac Day and remember those who have sacrificed so much on our behalf. I’m looking forward to speaking at the Otaki dawn service and attending other services in Horowhenua on Friday. Congratulations to former Otaki student Jack Potaka who won a nationwide veterans speech competition and his prize is attending Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli.
I was fortunate to speak as Minister of Veterans Affairs at the dawn service at Anzac Cove and Chunuk Bair in 2012 at Gallipoli. It was an incredibly moving experience and one that I will never forget. As the resting place for so many of our war dead, Gallipoli has become a sacred place for all New Zealanders.
I was shown around the various battle sites on the Canakkale Peninsula and saw first-hand the incredibly difficult conditions our soldiers faced, with towering cliffs and steep gullies.
Anzac Day is a time to reflect and pay tribute to our ANZAC veterans. It is a time to stand together and remember more than 2,700 New Zealanders who lost their lives serving as part of the Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) that landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.
The First World War had an enormous toll on our young country. Our population at the time was less than one million, yet an expeditionary force of 100,000 was provided. Of those, 58,000 were killed or injured.
The number of people attending local Anzac Day celebrations is increasing and this shows the importance we attach to our military history, and the respect we continue to have for such occasions.
Next year marks 100 years since the Battle of Gallipoli – an important part of New Zealand’s history and I know there will be many special events held locally. A special development is the National War Memorial Park in Wellington which will be a lasting legacy to all service men and women who have fought for this country.
The park will also provide an opportunity to recognise military conflicts not subject to a national memorial in this country, such as New Zealand’s on-going role in peacekeeping. This year on Anzac Day the New Zealand Defence Force will have around 192 personnel deployed on eleven peacekeeping operations, United Nations missions, and defence exercises around the world.
The Government’s commitment to veterans is on-going with Prime Minister John Key announcing a package of changes to better recognise and support our veterans and ex-servicemen and women. New legislation to implement many of these changes is now in its final stages through Parliament. It also builds on a special one-off increase of 5 per cent to the War Disablement Pension and Surviving Spouse Pension in April last year, benefitting nearly 17,000 veterans and surviving spouses.
We are committed to recognising and supporting our veterans, acknowledging the tremendous sacrifices they have made for New Zealand. Lest we forget.
I was shown around the various battle sites on the Canakkale Peninsula and saw first-hand the incredibly difficult conditions our soldiers faced, with towering cliffs and steep gullies.
Anzac Day is a time to reflect and pay tribute to our ANZAC veterans. It is a time to stand together and remember more than 2,700 New Zealanders who lost their lives serving as part of the Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) that landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.
The First World War had an enormous toll on our young country. Our population at the time was less than one million, yet an expeditionary force of 100,000 was provided. Of those, 58,000 were killed or injured.
The number of people attending local Anzac Day celebrations is increasing and this shows the importance we attach to our military history, and the respect we continue to have for such occasions.
Next year marks 100 years since the Battle of Gallipoli – an important part of New Zealand’s history and I know there will be many special events held locally. A special development is the National War Memorial Park in Wellington which will be a lasting legacy to all service men and women who have fought for this country.
The park will also provide an opportunity to recognise military conflicts not subject to a national memorial in this country, such as New Zealand’s on-going role in peacekeeping. This year on Anzac Day the New Zealand Defence Force will have around 192 personnel deployed on eleven peacekeeping operations, United Nations missions, and defence exercises around the world.
The Government’s commitment to veterans is on-going with Prime Minister John Key announcing a package of changes to better recognise and support our veterans and ex-servicemen and women. New legislation to implement many of these changes is now in its final stages through Parliament. It also builds on a special one-off increase of 5 per cent to the War Disablement Pension and Surviving Spouse Pension in April last year, benefitting nearly 17,000 veterans and surviving spouses.
We are committed to recognising and supporting our veterans, acknowledging the tremendous sacrifices they have made for New Zealand. Lest we forget.