Matakana School is always an integral part of the ANZAC commemorations.
Matakana School held a memorial service to honour those who fought for New Zealand during the great war.
Students, teachers and parents gathered around Matakana School's King George statue on April 13 for their Anzac ceremony before the school holidays.

Palmerston North Boys' High School - ANZAC Commemorations

The annual Palmerston North Boys’ High School Anzac service was held today, Tuesday, April 3. Our school Anzac service remembers all those who have served and sacrificed for their country, in particular our 202 Old Boys who lost their lives in World War One, World War Two and the Falklands Conflict. In 2016, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, we remembered especially the 70 Old Boys killed during World War One, nine of whom fell at the Somme.
Year 13 students Malachi Hill and George Baldwin presented the Anzac address, focusing on PNBHS Old Boys killed in the battle of the Somme. Mr Phil Smith presented the school with a medal awarded posthumously to his uncle, Phillip Smith, after whom he was named. This will be held in perpetuity in our archives.
The second part of the Anzac service included all young men and invited guests walking a path boarded by crosses bearing the name, service number and photograph of all 202 of our Old boys killed at war, and a fly over from a World War Two Harvard aircraft.

Little Kiwis Early Learning Centre in South Auckland shared a wonderful moment of commemoration with parents and staff for Anzac Day.  We invited a parent, who is currently working in the NZ Army, to speak on behalf of all those who served during World War I.  We did lots of painting, art activities, storytelling, planting poppies and even tried army training with our monkey bar, traffic cones and makeshift cargo nets.  Parents shared photos of their grandparents, and great grandparents who served at war, and these were put on our Board of Commemoration.  All our children, even little babies, love to look at the pictures on the wall, which reminds them of their families and origins. 

Sancta Maria Montessori Pre-school children created a special memorial space for their Field of Remembrance crosses. 
The stories of Nurse Hildyard, Sergeant Travis and Second Lieutenant Grace feature on the front.  Amongst them is a field of beautiful paper poppies, and a poppy wreath, made by the children.    

This entry a garden created by Cam Loft and Cheyenne Ballantine of Hauraki Plains College in Ngatea won the top prize.

The Ministry of Education and The Fields of Remembrance Trust held a national competition for school students commemorating the centenary of the First World War called “Their Stories, Our Stories”.
 
148 entries were received in 4 categories (years 1-4, 5-8, 9-10 and 11-13) and students could enter as a group or solo. The judges were impressed with the range and quality of the entries saying that they reflected a huge amount of research, creativity and hard work. The entries included, poems, paintings and drawings, video clips and this prize winning garden.

For more information and links to all the entries please click HERE.

The competition is sponsored by the RNZRSA, the Auckland RSA, the Vodafone Warriors and Canterbury NZ.

It was with great sadness the Trust learned of two schools who had their Field of Remembrance vandalised.
Berkley Normal Middle School in Hamilton found their crosses destroyed just before Anzac Day. The offender was caught and has been dealt with by the courts.
The Trust’s Vice President Graham Gibson travelled to Hamilton with a replacement set of crosses.
Read more here.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Pukekohe also found their Field had been desecrated. Sadly no one has been found responsible for the damage.

Trust members were privileged to attend an assembly at St Joseph’s and provide them with replacement crosses. The school has honoured the Anzac Spirit with projects and Olivia Dykes who chose Anzac as the theme for her speech will be representing the school in the Franklin Speech Competitions. This competition is against all the schools in Franklin who have Year 7 & 8 children.

Here is Olivia's speech:
Why we should always honour ANZAC day in memory of lost soldiers and for how it shaped our nation.

In flanders fields the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place.
and in the sky,
the larks, still bravely singing, fly,
scarce heard amid the guns below,

 
Picture this,
You are an anzac soldier, you are starving, you are rationed a tin of corned beef, and a few hard biscuits. This is to last you a whole day. You are huddled in a muddy trench, your filthy army clothes stick to your body with a cold sweat. Rats scurry across your feet. The stench of death, disease, and dirty men, fills the foggy air.
BANG! A bullet impales your best friend beside you.
 There is no time to grieve or weep over your friend, because bullets are flying all around, and YOU must carry on the fight. You poke your head above the trench, and shoot. You HAVE to survive.
 Anzac day needs to be remembered, for 3 important, key reasons. First because, we need to remember the soldiers that died for us. Second, for the freedom they gave us, and third for the people that came back and  suffered.
It is documented that over 18,000 soldiers from New Zealand alone, died in World war 1. That is nearly half of my town, Pukekohe dead. Blown out. Non - existent.
Also 41,000 people were injured. If 41,000 people were seriously injured tomorrow, we would need 3 and a half times the hospital beds that are currently available, in New Zealand today.
 We must remember them.
 Not only do we keep those who died in our hearts, but we also remember those who survived, and came back to New Zealand. struggled emotionally,  physically and mentally too.
 We must remember them.
 I feel very blessed and honoured, that I have had the opportunity to march in an ANZAC dawn parade, with my great grandad pete pete, who is now 93. Through this, I have learnt that the bravery, and courage of these men, gives us the freedom and ability to live in our beautiful country, New Zealand.
 I’m sure that lots of you already know that this year is the 100 year anzac anniversary, marking the time when our anzac soldiers arrived at anzac cove, Gallipoli. This is a very special year for our country, and we should always remember it, not just for the anzacs, but for all soldiers, who fought for New Zealand.
With this in mind, I hope that you all know what the soldiers went through, and sacrificed so that we can live freely, how we want in New Zealand. Lest we forget, the sacrifice of those who gave their lives, that we might live.

Take up our quarrel with the foe
to you from failing hands we throw, the torch,
be yours to hold it high,
for we shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
in Flanders fields.

Clevedon School joined their community in a service to remember ANZAC Day. The children held the white crosses and planted them in the rose garden at the Clevedon School Monument. Senior students laid the wreaths and read at the service.

Kapanui School's commemorations went very well and included speakers from the local high schools - Kapiti College and Paraparaumu College along with Mayor of Kapiti and a representative from the Paraparaumu RSA.

The Field of Remembrance initiative had a huge impact at our small country school. The seniors were all involved in putting it together and all the school families were asked to contribute to the giant poppy we erected beside it. Many from the Orere Point community also added their messages. Each red disc had a remembrance message from a family to someone who went away to a war. The ANZAC service at our school/ community hall was organised by the school and community- the first service ever held here. Pupils were involved in the service which concluded at our Field of Remembrance & Poppy and was blessed by our two ministers. Everyone was impressed with our white picket fence and presentation-just like the fields overseas.

We at Mansell Senior School combined our inquiry of our local soldiers with our inquiry into Maori protocols (we are 75% Maori) so first we held a completely student-led powhiri to welcome the crosses into the school and then we later held a ceremony in our memorial garden to lay the crosses - it was beautiful. The highlight - having a student from the local high school come play the Last Post after we said the ode- the students were stunned!  
Read more in an article in the Papakura Courier

Art pieces about two local fallen soldiers submitted to our Papakura RSA Fallen Soldiers competition

Some of our boys preparing to lay the crosses

Glenfield College had each of their junior students research a fallen soldier from WW1 and create a cross that was then placed in a field of remembrance at the school. "We have 220 students and have sourced the wood and made our own crosses. We are having students stencil on service number, rank and name." 

"I would like to thank the team that put the Fields of Remembrance resource kit for schools together.  It was an outstanding resource. The resource was very well thought out, with clear instructions and all the materials and information contained within the kit. 
 St Joseph’s School in Otahuhu Auckland held a memorable service based around the field of crosses. It was a visual and poignant occasion when the students could participate and remember this important part of our history."

"What an honour to have the Vice Chairman of the Fields of Remembrance Trust, Mr Graham Gibson and also the Manager of Veterans & Membership Services, Mr Andy Francis at our Fields of Remembrance Closing Ceremony. They were so happy to be a part of our Closing Ceremony. To hear The National Anthem, The Himene (He Honore) being sung, The Last Post, The Reveille, The Last Ode being read out in Te Reo Maori and in English, to listen to the names of the soldiers being called out and the children removing the crosses with Mana was an amazing experience for all of us. To listen to the Principal's message and also to Mr Graham Gibson's speech was heartfelt. Thank you Mrs Lynda Stuart, Ms Beth Noakes, Teachers, Parents, Visitors and most important a very big thank you to the students. They were AMAZING."

Palmerston North Boys' High School school made crosses (199 to represent each old boy killed in WWI, WWII and the Falklands) to mark the pathway from our War Memorial Gallery to the Gallipoli Oak (which was planted on April 25, 1916). Each cross was marked with the service number, name, rank and photo of each old boy.  
"For our ANZAC service the entire school (nearly 1800) walked this pathway in silence and two of our WWII veterans walked down it to lay a wreath at the Gallipoli Oak with the school lined up either side of the pathway.  We were also privileged to have 10 Ghurka soldiers from the 1st Ghurka Rifles present for the ceremony." 

"We are a small special school in Paeroa. Your information pack and resources were excellent and whilst we obviously adapted them for our more able students, they enabled staff to really develop a sense of understanding and awareness with our students.
​The attached link is to a set of photographs on our school website which shows the students laying out The Field of Remembrance."
http://www.gfs.school.nz/gallery-1/special-events-2015/field-of-remembrance

Schools will be  uplifting their crosses on 4th May 2015.
Some will have a small ceremony to mark the occasion.
Schools are invited to keep their crosses and use them again to remember those who died World War I 1914-1918.
Some dates to commemorate may be found here.

The Fields of Remembrance Trust would like to thank the students, parents and especially teachers who have established Fields of Remembrance across the country.

Click here to watch a video produced by Birchville School Upper Hutt.

In October 1915 150 Niueans arrived in New Zealand and began training at Narrow Neck. In early 1916  they embarked on the SS Navua for a 5 week journey to Egypt where they joined the newly formed  Pioneer Battalion.

In May 1916  they travelled to Armentieres in France and began work on the trenches. They worked at night to avoid the worst artillery fire. They had to contend with mud, rats and cold.  Twenty one of these men died in World War I.

To honour these men the Fields of Remembrance Trust sent kits to schools in Niue. The Niue High School Newsletter reports:

"The school had the privilege to hold a “Field of Remembrance” ceremony this term, for the first time. It was a ceremony to open a field of white crosses, which symbolizes and remembers the Niuean soldiers that fought in World War 1 and World War 2.
It was a momentous and significant event which was very emotional for all involved.and the school acknowledges the esteemed company of the Hon. Minister Joan Viliamu; His Excellency Ross Ardern; Rev. Aifolia Poumale; Presi- dent of Niue RSA Charlie Tohovaka and his Executive Committee; Acting Director Gen
eral of MoSS Hubert Kalauni; Acting Director of Education
Cherie Morris-Tafatu; Chief of Police Tony Edwards; Constable Ramona Jackson; and special guest David Priore, which added to the colour of the occasion.

This event was organised by the Year 13 teacher, Nainasa Fale’ovalu, and her students and they did a splendid job, which made the school very proud. 
There is already talk for this event to become one of the fixtures on the school calendar going forward, which speaks volumes for the significance and regard that we, and especially our students, hold our fallen heroes."

 Rotorua Boy's High School 

 St Kevin’s College in Oamaru

Milford Primary School, Auckland

Year Six pupils at Edendale Primary School have felt priveleged to be able to erect our set of crosses in our small town and are enjoying researching the names of the veterans on the crosses. Thank you for helping the pupils to feel involved in the ANZAC Day commemorations.

Students at Sunnybrae Normal School in Auckland place poppies by the crosses in their Field, as part of their ceremony.

Students from Matakana School, North Auckland added their crosses to those at the Matakana War Memorial.

Hon. Nathan Guy and students from Kapanui School, Waikanae.

WWI display in Murray's Bay Primary School, Auckland.

St Canice’s School in Westport, Buller.

Parkland School

Wellington Girls’ College

South Featherston School

Cheviot Area School.

Waikari School

School Don Buck

Bell Block School