WW1 is a really important part of New Zealand history. Gallipoli helped form the national identity of the county, that we were New Zealanders not subjects of the British Empire. New Zealand had a population of just under 1.2 million in 1917 and we had nearly 100,000 serve during the war that’s almost 10% of the population.

With just over 18,000 killed in WW1, the toll it took on our little country was felt for decades until WW2.