There will be no dawn services this Anzac Day, but New Zealanders can mark the occasion with a minute's silence at 6am. Picture / NZ Herald
There will be no dawn services this Anzac Day, but New Zealanders can mark the occasion with a minute's silence at 6am. Picture / NZ Herald
Official Anzac Day services have been cancelled thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown, but Opposition leader Simon Bridges is calling on New Zealanders to commemorate the day in their homes by standing at dawn.
"Anzac Day is a day when all New Zealanders come together to commemorate the sacrifices New Zealandersbefore us gave for our safety and security, and to honour all returned servicemen and women," Mr Bridges said.
"It's a disappointment for so many that dawn services across the country have been cancelled. But just as those men and women before us left their homes to fight for our safety, right now we all have to stay at home to fight Covid-19.
"The RSA has proposed a different way all New Zealanders can commemorate this important day this year, while sticking to the lockdown rules, and National wants to get behind this too by Standing at Dawn.
"There will be some instances where it may not be possible to go down to your front gate, for example if you live in an apartment and are unable maintain physical distancing. In those cases it is more appropriate to observe the one minute's silence from your balcony, or remain indoors and observe the one minute's silence from your home.
"National sees this is as a practical way to continue to commemorate Anzac Day despite being in lockdown, so long as Kiwis observe physical distancing rules. It's just one way as a country we can show how united and strong we are, despite the current circumstances."
