This Anzac Day, Whakaata Māori is inviting Aotearoa to take pause, remember and honour our servicemen and women and their whānau.
Live coverage begins at 5.45am with the Dawn Service from the Auckland War Memorial Museum in Tāmaki Makaurau on April 25. It will be broadcast on Whakaata Māori and Māori+.
Whakaata Māori also offers an NZSL-supported broadcast, with the Dawn Service coverage sponsored by Triton Hearing.
Māia te Kotahitanga
The theme of this year’s commemorations is Māia i te Kotahitanga – Courage through Unity, recognising the collective strength forged through shared sacrifice and remembrance.
Guiding viewers through the morning will be the multi-award-winning singer and songwriter Moana Maniapoto (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa).
A focus this year is D Company of the 28th Māori Battalion, colloquially known as Ngāti Walkabout because of the broad recruiting area they were drawn from – the lower North Island, Te Waipounamu, Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands) and the Pacific Islands.
Although coming from many iwi and regions, D Company fought as one, earning a reputation for courage and resilience across campaigns in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy. Their story is one of unity in action.
The special Anzac broadcast includes expert commentary, historical context and moving features. There will also be a live cross to Gallipoli commemorations in Turkey, reinforcing the enduring connection between Aotearoa and the place where so many lives were lost.
Following the Dawn Service is a collection of reflective stories that extend the themes of remembrance and legacy. These stories centre on people and whānau, exploring service and sacrifice. Together, they reinforce the guiding theme of Māia i te Kotahitanga, highlighting courage expressed not only in wartime, but in the enduring bonds of unity that follow.
Anzac Day viewing
5.45am: Anzac 2026: Auckland Dawn Services – Live coverage of the Anzac Day Dawn Service. This year from the dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum
8.00am: Devils on horses – premiere: Set against the brutal backdrop of the Sinai-Palestine campaigns in WWI, this story reveals the unbreakable bond between soldiers and their horses.
9:30am: Ngāti Walkabout – the story of D Company 28 Māori Battalion – Premiere: The story of Edward Te Whiti ‘Tiwi’ Love, of D Company, who served in Greece and Crete and during one stage of the 1942 Libyan campaign.
11:30am: One Life – Premiere: Anthony Hopkins stars in the uplifting true story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, who helped rescue hundreds of children from Nazi-occupied Europe on the eve of World War II.
1:30pm: Paradise Soldiers – Reveals the sacrifices, the personal stories, and celebrates the contribution of Cook Island soldiers to the New Zealand armed forces from World War I through Vietnam and to present day. (R)
2:30pm: Anzac Day Gallipoli Service 2026 – Live from Anzac Cove in Gallipoli.
4:00pm: Spitfire – Premiere: Traces the legendary Supermarine Spitfire — from its origin and design to its pivotal role in the Battle of Britain and beyond.
8.00pm: When we go to war – Chronicles a New Zealand family at the outbreak of WWI, from optimism to despair as war’s toll mounts.
9.00pm: Midway – Premiere: Dramatisation of the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific during WWII.
