Anzac Day: First dawn service at Pāpāmoa Beach

The service will start at 6am at the Stella Place memorial off Pāpāmoa Beach Rd. Photo / NZME

Pāpāmoa Beach will have its first formal dawn parade service this Anzac Day.

The service will start at 6am on Monday at the Stella Place memorial off Pāpāmoa Beach Rd. It is a community initiative and will supplement the dawn service held every year at Mount Maunganui's Main Beach cenotaph.

Organiser, Pāpāmoa resident and ex-navy serviceman Mick O'Carroll said: "Our Pāpāmoa dawn service will take the pressure off the Mount service but will still give people the same opportunity to pay their respects in the same wonderful beachside setting."

"The Mount service continues to grow and even though Covid has put a damper on things for the past two years we expect the turnout there will be as big as previously.

"Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and residents we have a wonderful memorial and flagpole and this service is also designed to say a big thank you to our community for their support."

Pāpāmoa College students will take part in the proceedings by giving the traditional Anzac ritual reading of Laurence Binyon's famous ode 'For the Fallen.'

Marty Elliott, a local celebrant, will MC the service and former army sergeant major Paul Napier will take care of the veteran parade formalities.

"We are expecting a big turnout of the public and we are especially keen to see as many young people there as possible," Napier said.

The Pāpāmoa community service proceeds with the blessing of the RSA, Tauranga City Council and local tangata whenua.