New Anzac website launched

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has launched a new website, www.anzac.govt.nz, focusing on the history, traditions and ceremonies associated with Anzac Day, with stunning, interactive panoramas of significant sites on the Gallipoli peninsula and a searchable database of New Zealanders who died during the campaign.

"For some time there have been indications from the public that it would be useful to have more information about Anzac Day and access to material that can be used in Anzac Day events, and we have designed the website to meet this need, and more," said Martin Matthews , Chief Executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

"On the website you will find information on the typical order of ceremony, the significance of Anzac Day, its rituals and traditions and some of the key facts about the day and the Gallipoli campaign."

"We were also keen to provide visitors to the site with a view of the significant sites of Gallipoli, the places where our soldiers fought and the memorials and cemeteries which mark the peninsula today."

"If you can't make it to Gallipoli yourself you can click on the website for a virtual tour of the battlefields and memorials by way of some stunning, interactive panoramas of the Gallipoli peninsula supported by text adapted from Ian McGibbon 's guidebook Gallipoli: a Guide to New Zealand Battlefields and Memorials, " said Mr Matthews.

The QuickTime VR panoramas were created by photographer Brian Donovan of the Centre for Flexible and Distance Learning at the University of Auckland in association with Robert Boyd-Bell from e-net limited.

The 360-degree images were made with a rotational slit-scan film camera.

"Another feature of the Anzac website, which will particularly appeal to family historians, is the searchable database of New Zealanders who died in the Gallipoli campaign, including some New Zealanders who fought as part of other country's armed forces," said Mr Matthews.

The records of New Zealanders who died at Gallipoli can be found on the Cemeteries and Memorials to the Missing pages in the Gallipoli guide section of the website.

"The Anzac campaign on the Gallipoli peninsula has become a central marker in our history and identity and these new resources will enhance our understanding and appreciation both of what actually happened and why we can be proud of the New Zealanders who fought there," said Mr Matthews.

For further information contact:

Helen Mojel
Media and Publications Adviser
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Phone 04 474 3307 or 027 256 7778
Email helen.mojel@mch.govt.nz