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National | ANZAC

Commander given honour of wearing NZDF korowai

NZDF Contingent Commander Lieutenant Olly Te Ua will be given the honour of wearing the Māori woven cloak Ngā Tapuwae when he speaks at the dawn service in Gallipoli today.

He and a contingent of 30 members from the NZDF and MCG Cultural group will perform to honour those lost in battle at Gallipoli.

Te Ua's great-grandfather was part of the Auckland Infantry Battalion and served in Gallipoli from June to August 1915.

He says this event will have special significance to him.

"It's a very colourful korowai and has a lot of red there to symbolise the blood that's been spilt in these battlefields.  So, it's a relatively new taonga for us and a number of people have worn it on special occasions".