Anzac Day 2023: Why it's celebrated and what you need to know ...

Anzac Day is used to pay respect to New Zealand military personnel who are serving or have served and to promote unity.

The date April 25 is significant because in 1915, around 20,000 soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) landed under fire on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.

New Zealand troops, alongside their Australian counterparts and other allied nations, battled Ottoman forces fighting to protect their homeland for eight months.

By the time the campaign ended, more than 130,000 soldiers had died - at least 87,000 Ottoman and 44,000 Allied, of whom 2779 were New Zealanders.

The red poppy has become a symbol of war remembrance the world over. In many countries, the poppy is worn on Armistice Day, November 11, but in New Zealand, it is most commonly seen on Anzac Day.

Mount Maunganui Dawn Service: 5.45am, Mount Maunganui Cenotaph, Marine Parade (opposite Mount Drury).

Dawn parade timetable:

Mount Maunganui Civic Memorial Service: 9.15am, Mount Maunganui Cenotaph, Marine Parade (opposite Mount Drury Reserve, Hopukiore).

Civic parade timetable:

Pāpāmoa Memorial Dawn Service: 5:30am, Pāpāmoa Memorial, Stella Place beach carpark, Pāpāmoa Beach Rd.

Tauranga Dawn Service: 5.45am, Tauranga RSA Cenotaph, 1237 Cameron Rd.

Dawn parade timetable:

Tauranga Moana Tumatauenga Anzac Commemorations: 5.45am, Te Whetu o Te Rangi Marae, Welcome Bay Road, Tauranga.

Tauranga Civic Memorial Service: 8.45am, Tauranga Memorial Park, Eleventh Ave.

Civic Parade timetable:

The 9am service will take place indoors at Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, should poor weather prevent an outside gathering at Memorial Park.

Pyes Pa Remembrance Service: 11am, Pyes Pa Cemetery, 403 Pyes Pa Rd.

Te Puke Parade and Civic Memorial: 9.50am, Te Puke War Memorial Hall, Jellicoe St.

Katikati Dawn Parade and Civic Service: 5.45am, Katikati War Memorial Hall, Main Rd.

Waihī Beach parade and service: 6am, RSA Waihī Beach, Beach Rd.

Ōmokoroa service: 6am, Remembrance Cairn, Gerald Crapp Reserve, Ōmokoroa Point

Maketu service: 5.30am, The Landing

There are road closures in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak

Mount Maunganui from 2.30am to 12pm:

Tauranga city centre from 7am to 12pm:

Mobility card holders will be able to get through the road closures.

All park-and-ride buses are accessible for people with limited mobility.

To Mount Maunganui Dawn Service

A free park-and-ride service will be available from Kawaka St (behind Blake Park) to Maunganui Rd (behind Mount Drury Reserve, Hopukiore). Buses will depart from Kawaka St between 5am and 5.50am, returning at the conclusion of the Dawn Service between 6.15am and 7.30am.

To Tauranga Civic Service

A free park-and-ride service will be available from Tauranga Boys’ College to Memorial Park between 8am and 8.40am, with buses returning immediately after the service. Buses will drop off and pick up from the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre carpark.

Car parking

Car parking is available at the Tauranga Boys’ College carpark off Devonport Rd (between Thirteenth and Fourteenth Ave), with marshals on-site to help people make their way to the buses. Pak’nSave on Cameron Rd has made its above-ground car park available for people attending the service.

The Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre car park is only available for mobility cardholders.

Anzac Day is to pay respect to New Zealand military personnel who are serving or have served and to promote unity. Photo / Joel Ford

Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac).

It’s claimed these biscuits were sent by wives and women’s groups to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.

Ingredients:

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C conventional bake. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the Edmonds Standard Grade Flour and cinnamon. Add the rolled oats, coconut and sugars; mix well.

3. Combine the Tararua Butter, Chelsea Golden Syrup and water in a small saucepan and stir over low-medium heat until the Tararua Butter melts and the mixture is well combined (ensure the mixture does not simmer or boil). Remove from heat and stir in the Edmonds Baking Soda. Add immediately to the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until well combined.

4. Roll one to two tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on to a tray about 5cm apart. Use your fingers to flatten each slightly (until they are about 1cm thick) and bake for 16 minutes (for a chewy biscuit), or 20 minutes for a crunchier biscuit.

5. Set aside for five minutes to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Source: Chelsea New Zealand