The Governor-General, Her Excellency Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO, travelled to Türkiye to represent the people of New Zealand at this year’s Anzac Day commemorations.
Upon her arrival in Istanbul, Dame Cindy was honoured to meet with Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Her Excellency then travelled Ankara to meet His Excellency Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye. Dame Cindy thanked His Excellency the President for Türkiye’s ongoing support and generous hospitality for the annual Anzac Day commemorations. Their bilateral meeting reaffirmed the strong bonds between our two nations and the shared commitment to enhance those ties.
While in Ankara, Her Excellency also met with His Excellency Mr Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Dame Cindy and Dr Davies then travelled to the Gallipoli Peninsula, where they had the honour of touring some of the significant battlefields and cemeteries. Their Excellencies were guided by Dr Andrew MacDonald, Official Historian of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association, paying their respects at Ari Burnu, Anzac Cove, Quinn’s Post, and Chunuk Bair.
In the company of the Gallipoli Historic Sites Directorate and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Her Excellency also planted a pōhutukawa tree – symbolising remembrance and the shared history of New Zealand and Türkiye.
To read Dame Cindy's remarks during the tour, please visit Visit to the New Zealand No. 2 Outpost Cemetery
On 24 April, Their Excellencies attended the Turkish International Service, the French National Service, and the Commonwealth and Ireland Service in Gallipoli.
The following day, Anzac Day, Dame Cindy attended the Anzac Day Dawn Service and the New Zealand National Service in Gallipoli. New Zealand and Australian Defence Force personnel conducted the moving services with utmost mana and solemnity, in honour of all those who have served both our countries with such courage, in the name of peace and freedom.
As Her Excellency remarked in her address for the National Service: 'On this day, we gather together, in bonds of friendship and remembrance, to honour those who served our countries so courageously – and those families who bore the immense burden of their loss. Such service and sacrifice continue to be felt, and remind us of the devastating, intergenerational consequences of war.'
To read Dame Cindy's address at the Dawn Service, please visit: Anzac Day 2026 Dawn Service at Gallipoli; and Her Excellency's address at the New Zealand National Service, please visit: Anzac Day 2026 New Zealand National Service at Chunuk Bair
To find more images from the trip, please visit: Official visit to Türkiye