New Zealand remembers losses and legacy on Anzac Day

First light in New Zealand has brought new reflections on the sacrifices of armed forces, past and present, on Anzac Day.

Across the country, thousands of Kiwis have spent their morning at dozens of dawn services, from Kaitaia in the north to Invercargill in the frosty south.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, commemorating his first Anzac Day as New Zealand's leader, spent his morning at his local dawn service in Wellington's north.

Following the service at the Upper Hutt Civic Centre, it's off to breakfast at the Cossie Club, and into town for the national service at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in the heart of Wellington.

Mr Hipkins said he would keep his two grandfathers in his thoughts.

"My mum's dad was a signalman in the Air Force," he said.

"And my dad's dad had a very long period away from home from Greece to Italy to J Force during the Second World War," he said, referencing the name given to NZ forces in occupied Japan.

"The lifelong impact that had on both of my grandfathers is something that I've never underestimated.

"I think about them on Anzac Day. I think a lot of Kiwis will feel the same.

"They'll be thinking about their grandparents or great grandparents and the enormous sacrifices that they made for us to enjoy the freedoms that we do on a day-to-day basis."

Serving New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel will also mark the day in a number of stations around the globe.

In Lebanon and South Sudan, Kiwis are serving on UN missions, and will commemorate with Australian colleagues.

Dozens of New Zealanders serving in the UK helping to train Ukraine forces will mark the day.

There will also be NZDF commemorations in the Middle East, Japan, Korea, and, of course, Turkiye.

Defence Minister Andrew Little and NZDF Chief Air Marshal Kevin Short are leading a delegation to Gallipoli, where New Zealand and Australian forces landed 108 years ago.

Mr Little said on a previous visit he visited a memorial plaque to a lost relative on the peninsula: Patrick Gregory Fitzgerald, his wife's great uncle.

Fitzgerald, a carpenter by trade, enlisted as a 19-year-old with his two brothers, and was one of 850 Kiwis killed in a single week in the battle of Chunuk Bair.

Veterans Minister Meka Whaitiri said any acknowledgement from Kiwis would be welcome on April 25.

"Whether it's attending a Dawn Service or a parade here in the towns, cities and rural communities of New Zealand, or standing beside fellow Kiwis at Anzac events overseas, we can all take a few minutes to acknowledge lives forever altered," she said.