Anzac Day ceremonies honour service men and women

11.45am

New Zealand is remembering the sacrifice of its service men and women.

In Auckland, the commemoration began with the singing of the hymn Abide With Me.

Traditionally prayers are said at dawn around the country to mark the moment the Allied troops landed at Gallipolli on April 25, 1915.

About 35,000 troops from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, France and India were killed in the eight months of the battle for Gallipoli which ended with the defeat of the Allied forces.

Turkish losses amounted to 87,000 men.

Auckland Mayor John Banks addressed a crowd of hundreds at the Auckland ceremony in the Domain.

He says on this day the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps received its baptism of fire, and became one of the immortal names in history.

Mr Banks asked the crowd to dedicate themselves to the memory of all service men and women.

While most of the old soldiers who fought at Gallipoli on this day eighty-nine years ago have passed away, their descendants are still turning out to mark the occasion.

Thousands are attending ceremonies around the country remembering the sacrifice of troops at Gallipoli, as well as those made more recently by troops serving in East Timor.

Army Spokesman Major Murray Brown says the renewed interest in the day amongst the younger generation is heartening to see.

He says with today's defence personnel called on more and more to serve overseas, they have a greater understanding than ever before of what their forebears went through.

A national wreath-laying ceremony will take place at Wellington's National War Memorial at eleven o'clock.

Meanwhile this year's commemorations of ANZAC day at Gallipolli itself are being carried out under the strictest security ever seen.

Turkey says it disagrees with the travel warnings sent out by the New Zealand and Australian governments against travel to Turkey for fear of terrorist attack.

Turkish authorities are taking no chances, however, and people attending official events will be subject to intensive searches while only those with accreditation will be allowed onto the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Kiwi defence force staff stationed around the world are also commemorating the day.

In Iraq, kiwi engineers are joining their Australian counterparts for a special dawn service.

In Afghanistan, the 94-strong Reconstruction Team in Bamian is also holding a dawn service for kiwi personnel, followed by a full ceremony later this morning.

A defence force contingent in the Solomon Islands plans to lay a wreath at the scene where the mine sweeper HMNZS Moa was sunk during World War II.

The HMNZS Te Mana, still on passage to the Gulf of Oman, will conduct a dawn service.

A rum and coffee at the local RSA may be the only alcoholic drink available today.

As part of the ANZAC Day observance, licensed premises were required to close at midnight last night.

They won't re-open until one this afternoon, along with other commercial premises.

Hospitality Association chief executive Bruce Robertson says even then there will be some complications.

He says then trading is subject to the Holidays Act so some businesses may apply a surcharge to cover their extra staff costs.

The Association would like to see some changes to the rules for ANZAC Day.

Bruce Robertson says it is unfortunate that this year ANZAC Day falls on a Sunday.

He says Saturday's a night when people are out and about partying.

The Hospitality Association has always argued that the time before such special days should be treated as part of the previous trading day and they should be allowed to open until 3 am.

And in honour of ANZAC Day, travel on buses in Auckland and Wellington for war veterans will today be free.

Warren Fowler of Stagecoach New Zealand says he is pleased to honour the men and women who have fought for their country's freedom.

Stagecoach, Cityline and Link bus drivers have been instructed to give free travel to war veterans, identifying them through the wearing of their war medals or the display of RSA badges.

- Newstalk ZB