For the first time, Christ Church Cathedral will be illuminated in red to commemorate New Zealand’s fallen during service.

From dusk to dawn, for the week preceding and including Anzac Day, the western façade of the Cathedral will shine poppy-red as a commemorative tribute to this important day.

On Friday 25 April, people of all ages will once gather again in Cathedral Square to honour fallen and returned servicemen and women, a tradition passed down the generations over the last 109 years.

This year for the third time since the 2011 Earthquakes, residents have returned to Cathedral Square under the Citizens War Memorial.

“The move back to the heart of the city was a poignant one”, Christchurch Memorial RSA president Jim Lilley said.

“Since the earthquakes most of the city’s Anzac Day dawn services have been held at Cranmer Square. Coming back to Cathedral Square was another step forward in the city’s recovery following the earthquakes. The Cathedral has always and will always be, an integral part of commemoration in the city” Lilley said.

The schedule of events that mark Australia and New Zealand’s Gallipoli campaign will begin at 6.15am when war veterans will gather at the Worcester Bridge and then parade the short distance to Cathedral Square for the traditional dawn service.

Dean Ben Truman commented, “Our Cathedral has long been a site of remembrance and holy hope. It’s a delight to see that continue in a new generation with these symbolic lights which represent remembrance and solidarity”.

The New Zealand Army Band will perform at the service, which will end with the playing of the Last Post, a minute’s silence, and then the singing of the New Zealand national anthem.

Buddle Findlay partner, Mark Odlin, commented "Illuminating the Cathedral poppy-red is a unique way to honour our servicemen and women, and the team at Buddle Findlay is proud to support the Anzac Day commemorations."

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