Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Hamilton's Anzac Day parade shortened to take pressure off ageing veterans

Nikki Preston
By Nikki Preston
NZ Herald·
19 Apr, 2021 02:51 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Hamilton's dawn and civic Anzac Day parades ending at Memorial Park in Hamilton East will be shorter this year. Photo / Hamilton City Council

Hamilton's dawn and civic Anzac Day parades ending at Memorial Park in Hamilton East will be shorter this year. Photo / Hamilton City Council

A move to shorten an Anzac Day parade in one city for the safety of its ageing and sometimes frail veterans has been applauded by the RSA's national body.

Hamilton is this year shortening the length of its march due to concerns the longer route was too "taxing" on older RSA members.

The move is being hailed by the Returned and Services Association (RSA) National as "pragmatic and commonsense".

Hamilton's new Anzac Day Parade route will leave from the corner of Anzac Parade and Victoria St. Image / Hamilton City Council
Hamilton's new Anzac Day Parade route will leave from the corner of Anzac Parade and Victoria St. Image / Hamilton City Council

The previous start route from Knox St in Hamilton CBD is being relocated to the corner of Anzac Parade and Victoria Sts to shave 300m off the previous 900m walk.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hamilton RSA President Ross Bredesen said they asked for a shortened route to reduce the distance veterans and other marchers had to walk to reach the services at the Memorial Park cenotaph.

"However, for our older members, especially those who attend both the Dawn and Civic ceremonies, the former route from Knox St could be quite taxing.

"The same goes for young cadets who may also march twice on Anzac Day, and then stand for the commemorations, in their full uniform."

Hamilton's dawn and civic Anzac Day parades ending at Memorial Park in Hamilton East will be shorter this year. Photo / Hamilton City Council
Hamilton's dawn and civic Anzac Day parades ending at Memorial Park in Hamilton East will be shorter this year. Photo / Hamilton City Council

Unlike other areas, Hamilton holds a parade before both Hamilton's Anzac Day Dawn and Civic commemorations. The previous Knox St start point had significance for the Defence Force community because it was the site of the former Hamilton Drill Hall.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hamilton City Council events manager Tracey Wood said every Anzac Day staff St John medics provided first aid to marchers suffering from fatigue or heat stroke during the later Civic Service and the shortened route would ensure everyone could keep taking part.

There was an incline on Victoria St on the return march also proved to be a struggle for some.

"This is about looking after the wellbeing of everyone who attends the Anzac Day commemorations."

RSA National spokesperson Jeremy Seed said while it was up to each individual RSA to decide how long the march was, Hamilton's move made sense.

Seed said the long marches could be too much for some veterans - who despite the risk were often still determined to do it.

"We applaud this pragmatic commonsense approach as veterans get older and being concerned with their welfare first and foremost, but also being able to commemorate the service of the fallen is significant and the fact that you can still do one without impinging significantly on the other seems to be win-win."

Parades are not always a part of Anzac services.

Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage which overseas the parade for the dawn ceremony in Wellington said there would be no change to the march as the distance was less than 100m.

Auckland Council's Anzac parade which is part of the commemorations held at Auckland Domain remains unchanged, as does Tauranga's.

Christchurch City Council's parade is the same as previous years and is less than a 300m march from the Christchurch RSA to Cranmer Square Green.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald
|Updated

What have Tom Phillips' children been eating and doing to survive? Police probe details of four years in isolation

Waikato Herald

'Parent's worst nightmare': Boy's beach holiday turned fatal after climbing cliff face

Waikato Herald

‘Should have been you, boy’: Emotions run high at sentencing of motorcyclist who caused fatal crash


Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

What have Tom Phillips' children been eating and doing to survive? Police probe details of four years in isolation
Waikato Herald
|Updated

What have Tom Phillips' children been eating and doing to survive? Police probe details of four years in isolation

One child was at the shoot-out scene, the other two discovered hours later.

08 Sep 08:07 PM
'Parent's worst nightmare': Boy's beach holiday turned fatal after climbing cliff face
Waikato Herald

'Parent's worst nightmare': Boy's beach holiday turned fatal after climbing cliff face

08 Sep 05:00 PM
‘Should have been you, boy’: Emotions run high at sentencing of motorcyclist who caused fatal crash
Waikato Herald

‘Should have been you, boy’: Emotions run high at sentencing of motorcyclist who caused fatal crash

08 Sep 07:21 AM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP