ANZAC Day

Tongans participated in both World Wars, with the Tonga Defence Force deploying two contingents to the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. Two Tongan soldiers were killed.

A New Zealand Defence Force representative along with High Commissioner Matthew Howell attended the service, where they commended Tonga for its contributions to World War 1.

A dawn service will be held at Pangai Lahi Cenotaph to commemorate the brave soldiers from Tonga, Australia and New Zealand, who fought and died for world peace.

A statement said “This year, the Australian High Commission will host Tonga's ANZAC Day Dawn Service, commemorating the 108th anniversary of ANZAC day.”

The service honours the lives of soldiers who fell on the beaches of Gallipoli.   

The ceremony took place on the Royal Palace grounds of King Tupou VI with prayers and hymns sung by His Majesty's Armed Forces.

Ambassadors from Australia, Japan, China, the United Kingdom and New Zealand attended the ceremony.

Navy Officer, Sione Ulakai, acknowledged the sacrifices of Anzac soldiers in Gallipoli.

"We are celebrating the life of brave soldiers who at this time, a 107 years ago fell on the beaches of Gallipoli," he said.

Anzac Day is a public holiday in Tonga held to honour of the country's contribution to World War I and World War II.

The Storm have beaten the Warriors 42-20 to record their fifth straight victory in the annual fixture.

The reigning premiers are now fourth on the ladder, while the Warriors have dropped to ninth.

The visitors were undermanned and Warriors coach Nathan Brown handed debuts to teenagers Reece Walsh and Rocco Berry.

Walsh has only been with the club for a couple of weeks, having been released by the Brisbane Broncos.

"We could see Reece's talent there today and he is a very talented kid," Brown said.

At the end of her first Anzac Day speech as Governor-General, she said they included 500 men from the Cook Islands and 150 from Niue.

She says she unveiled a sculpture in Rarotonga recently to honour the Cook Islands soldiers who worked on the Arras tunnels as part of New Zealand's Pioneer Battalion.

"That expression of pride and sorrow served as a timely reminder of our shared experience of loss and the lasting impacts of war."

Photo: RNZ / Daniela Maoate-Cox Poppies pinned on by the descendants of Cook Island soldiers. 

Kaniva News reports the Tongans were among many Pacific islanders who served in the New Zealand, Australian, or French armed forces during the First World War.

Most of the initial volunteers from Tonga were Europeans or part-Europeans who joined the British, New Zealand or Australian armies.