Who put NZ in Anzac?

Aussies celebrating at Gallipoli often forget about Kiwi soldiers. Photo / AP

Australians commemorating the landing at Gallipoli may forget what the 'NZ' in Anzac Day stands for, says an expert carrying out research into the occasion.

Author Dr Ken Hyde says New Zealanders take a more solemn approach to Anzac Day than our "flag-waving" neighbours across the Tasman.

The suggestion that Australians have forgotten Kiwi troops' role in the tragic World War I campaign coincides with renewed talk of New Zealand being subsumed into Australia.

AUT University senior research lecturer Hyde and Turkish researcher Serhat Harman interviewed 400 New Zealanders and Australians at Gallipoli last Anzac Day.

The study is incomplete, but Hyde said it raised the different approach of the Anzac partners.

"I think for New Zealanders, Anzac Day is quite a solemn affair. It's remembering our dead and our sacrifices. Australians might be a little bit more up tempo."

Hyde said Australians saw the day as an occasion for "flag-waving and national pride" and sometimes overlooked New Zealand's role.

"It's sad but true that often when Australians use the words Anzac they're talking of their own people and their own soldiers."

In Australia, Returned Services League national president Ken Doolan insisted the tradition of transtasman co-operation had not faltered."We entirely support the joint approach to Anzac Day that both our nations have."

Anzac Day wasn't seen as a flag-waving national day: "It's not a celebration, it's a commemoration of those who paid the supreme sacrifice."

New Zealand was always represented at national commemorations in Canberra, Doolan added, but said local clubs were free to mark the day how they chose.

New Zealand RSA president Robin Klitscher agreed with Hyde that Australians sometimes understood Anzac to mean just Australia. But he said Kiwis should look at themselves before pointing the finger.

"We complain sometimes that Australians seem to forget there's an 'NZ' in Anzac, but do we acknowledge the first 'A' stands for Australia? We have to be a little bit careful."

Klitscher said it was good to see many Anzac services around New Zealand featuring the Australian flag and anthem, and important to acknowledge the historic partnership. "We need to remind ourselves that it's a history as well as a legend."

Numbers visiting Gallipoli were down to about 8000 last year, from a peak of about 20,000. About two-thirds were Australian, and half were under 30, Hyde said.

Most of the younger visitors had "flown in from London on a cheap flight" and were taking the opportunity to catch up with their countrymen and see Turkey.

Older visitors had "sacrificed a lot of time and money to get to Gallipoli; it means a lot to them".

Hyde said he saw no evidence of misbehaviour among younger visitors and hoped the pilgrimage would continue.

"I think it's extremely valuable that we remember what Gallipoli means, what the First World War means, what Anzac Day means."

Hyde will discuss the research with Associate Professor John Hall from Deakin University in Victoria at AUT's Anzac Memorial lecture on Wednesday.

Moved by experience

Spencer McGarry, 18, went to Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli last year as the inaugural winner of the Gallipoli Youth Award.

The Auckland resident said it was moving to stay overnight waiting for the dawn service.

McGarry, whose great-grandfather survived the Gallipoli campaign, said he thought there were differences between the Australian and New Zealand services, with the Kiwi event more focused on remembrance.

And he didn't see any young Kiwis and Aussies acting up.

"I didn't see too much partying or anything like that."


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