Sunlight peaked over the horizon on a crisp Saturday morning as Gisborne's combined dawn and civic service came to a close on Anzac Day. Photo / James Pocock
Sunlight peaked over the horizon on a crisp Saturday morning as Gisborne's combined dawn and civic service came to a close on Anzac Day. Photo / James Pocock
An unlit Cenotaph came to life with the dawn light at a poignant and well-attended Anzac Day service in Gisborne on Saturday.
A crowd estimated at close to 3000 gathered for the solemn occasion on a brisk morning.
It was a bigger crowd than last year as the Anzac remembrancecontinues to grow stronger in Tairāwhiti.
The City of Gisborne Highland Pipe Band led a large contingent in a march from outside the Gisborne District Council administration buildings, down Ormond Rd, across William Pettie Bridge and on to The Esplanade, finishing at the Cenotaph.
At the end of the service, when the parade marched out, the pipers had reached Lowe St on Reads Quay while tail elements of the parade were still on Gladstone Rd Bridge.
An estimated 800 people were involved – veterans, military personnel, cadets and a host of students from the three city high schools and Gisborne Intermediate.
Wreaths laid at the foot of the Gisborne Cenotaph for Saturday's dawn service. Photo / James Pocock
The sound of the Eastland Rescue Helicopter got things started as it soared overhead, followed by a waiata from the RSA kapa haka roopu (choir), the New Zealand and Australia national anthems, hymns, a reading of the poem In Flanders Field, the laying of wreaths and the sounding of a World War I trench whistle and the story behind it.
The service was led by RSA Padre Grant Harris, who also sounded The Last Post and Reveille.
RSA padre Grant Harris led the service and performed the Last Post and Reveille. Photo / Murray Robertson
“There are those who say we die two deaths – once when we die physically and then again when we are not remembered. Lest we forget,” Harris told the crowd.
Mayor Rehette Stoltz welcomed everyone to the service.
“As we gather here in 2026, the world once again continues to face conflict, instability and uncertainty,” she said. “We are reminded daily that peace can never be taken for granted.
“That is why Anzac Day remains so important. It reminds us not only of the cost of war, but also the responsibility we all share to stand for peace, democracy, understanding and unity.”
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz in the parade at the close of the dawn service. Photo / Murray Robertson
Guest speaker Royal New Zealand Navy Warrant Officer Darren Crosby said this Anzac Day marked 110 years since the New Zealand Division arrived on the Western Front during World War I.
“Today’s veterans face a different kind of battlefield. The threats are more complex, the lines are less defined and the pressures, both physical and mental, are enduring,” he said.
The front rank of veterans, current services personnel and others at Saturday's packed combined service at the Gisborne Cenotaph. Photo / Murray Robertson
“They all return home carrying experiences that are not always visible but are no less significant. We remember and acknowledge them, not only with words but with understanding.
“We remember them not only for what they have done, but for what they carry forward.
“Today’s veterans are the living link between our past and our future. They are also the embodiment of our Anzac values of courage, comradeship, commitment and sacrifice.”
A sea of faces at Gisborne's combined service at the Cenotaph, estimated to be attended by close to 3000. Photo / Murray Robertson
“As the sun continues to rise, we are reminded that remembrance is not [just] about reflection, it’s about responsibility, to live in a way that honours their sacrifice, to care for one another and to choose peace whenever possible.”
Gisborne RSA president Trevor Jukes thanked everyone involved in the commemoration and the crowd for their support in a “memorable” service.
Other Anzac Day services across Tairāwhiti were well supported again this year.
