Torrential rain moved the national commemoration marking the centenary of the First World War in France inside the National War Memorial in Wellington.
Dignitaries and the public packed into the Hall of Memories to remember those New Zealanders who provided support to the Allied war effort in France during 1916 to 1918.
The 11am ceremony of remembrance included the Regimental Colours of the 1st Battalion RNZIR and 4th Otago and Southland Battalion RNZIR being marched on and a Gaelic Blessing sung by Voix de Femmes, accompanied by the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band.
The Acting Prime Minister, The Honourable Bill English, and the Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Florence Jeanblanc-Risler delivered readings paying tribute to the New Zealand soldiers, and noting how the enduring relationship between France and New Zealand was cemented during the First World War.
The adverse weather conditions also affected the afternoon activities, but not the spirit of the public who attended the speaker’s programme inside the recently opened Queen Elizabeth II Pukeahu Education Centre.
The speaker’s programme had a full-house and the public had the opportunity to hear an insightful line-up of First World War related presentations, which included Alison Parr’s moving account of her journey accompanying the return of the Unknown Warrior, Wellington College students’ life-changing experience in France with the Shared Histories programme, New Zealand historian and author Ian McGibbon’s informative history lesson, Otago Universities’ fascinating 3D surveying project of the tunnels under Arras, and New Zealand composer John Psathas’ No Man’s Land musical collaboration.
Inside the Hall of Memories, children joined in on making corn flowers – the French flower of remembrance, while a ‘New Zealand Trench All Blacks rugby player’ showed off the Somme Cup.
A live stream of the ceremony of remembrance is available on Facebook.