The government will be represented at Anzac commemorations in Turkey this year – the first time since before the pandemic.
The Defense Force participating in the dawn service at Gallipoli in 2018.
Photo: NZDF
Anzac Day services have not been held on the Gallipoli Peninsula since 2019.
Meka Whaitiri.
Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Veterans Affairs Minister Meka Whaitiri will attend services during a five-day visit to Turkey. She will be joined by members of the Australian and New Zealand Defense Forces.
Whaitiri will visit Commonwealth and Turkish memorials, tour peninsula battlefields and lay a wreath to honor 11 Canterbury Mounted Rifles buried at Çanak Consular Cemetery from 1919.
In Canakkale, she will meet the Governor of Canakkale lhami Aktas and attend the inauguration of Bigali Castle organized by the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism.
Whaitiri will also host a New Zealand trade and business event in Istanbul.
“This is an opportunity to meet New Zealand businesses and support them in their message that New Zealand is open for business.”
Whaitiri, who is also customs minister, also planned to offer support following any disruptions to supply chains due to the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
