Art of Remembrance 2026: A Living ANZAC Tribute Through Music, Memory and Community
Annual commemorative event returns to Kāhui St David’s, honouring service and sacrifice with a powerful evening of performance, reflection and shared remembrance.
Auckland, New Zealand – To mark Anzac Week, Kāhui St David’s in Grafton - Auckland’s centre for music-making, inspiration and social connection - will once again host its annual Art of Remembrance on the eve before Anzac, Friday 24 April 2026 at 7pm.
Now in its eleventh year, the event brings together veterans, whānau, artists and the wider community for an evening of music, ceremony and storytelling – honouring service and sacrifice through reflection, connection and shared remembrance in one of the city’s most significant living memorial spaces.
Event: Art of Remembrance 2026 – We Will Remember Them
When: Friday 24 April | 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Where: Kāhui St David’s, 70 Khyber Pass Road, Grafton, Auckland
Tickets: Pay-what-you-can – all welcome (via Humanitix | www.kahuistdavids.nz)
St David’s Memorial Church, whose foundation stone was laid on Anzac Day 1927 as a memorial to those who served in World War One, was originally dedicated as The Soldiers’ Memorial Church. Today, as Kāhui St David’s, it is home to a charitable trust and stands as a living memorial – a place of remembrance for all branches of the New Zealand Defence Force, and a centre for cultural connection and inspiration..
Honouring the Royal New Zealand Engineers
As part of Art of Remembrance 2026, this year’s ANZAC commemoration places particular focus on the Royal New Zealand Engineers (RNZE) – past and present – recognising their enduring contribution and historic connection to St David’s.
This connection dates back to 1927 and is reflected today through the RNZE memorial plaques, the Sappers’ Chapel and the Sappers’ Memorial Window, honouring generations of service.
At the heart of this year’s service is the Lamp of Remembrance, illuminated daily in the Sappers’ Chapel and ceremonially re-lit by members of the Royal New Zealand Engineers for the coming year – a powerful act of continuity and collective remembrance.
Paul Baragwanath, Director of Friends of St David’s Trust Kāhui Rangi Pūpū, says: “The relationship between St David’s and the Royal New Zealand Engineers spans nearly a century. This is a place where that history is not only preserved, but actively remembered.
“Art of Remembrance allows us to honour all current members of the New Zealand Defence Force, and all veterans, in a way that brings their legacy into the present – through ceremony, music and community.”
A powerful programme of music, storytelling and remembrance
The 2026 programme brings together leading performers and community contributors for a deeply moving shared experience.
Unsung Heroes perform original songs and readings from wartime letters, including Cameron Bennett, veteran foreign correspondent, whose ballad recounts a letter sent to his grandfather from the Western Front. Guitarist Chris Priestley has also written a song that tells his father’s story of the battle at Takrouna Hill in Tunisia. The pieces will be introduced by Peter Elliott ONZM, Shortland Street actor, percussionist and Member of the Waitematā Local Board.
The evening will also feature David Harvey on Scottish bagpipes, pūoro by Riki Bennett, the University of Auckland Student Choir and hymns for all to join led by soprano Michelle Thorne-McHugh, the Off Broadway Big Band, and Helen Lukman-Fox on the great pipe organ.
The night will begin with a parade of veterans into the Great Hall. It will include the Last Post, Minute of Silence, The Rouse, and the ceremonial relighting of the Lamp of Remembrance for the year ahead. The programme will also include contributions from members of the New Zealand Defence Force.
Highlights include:
● National Anthem and hymns, led by Soprano Michelle Thorne-McHugh, the Off Broadway Big Band (Bandmaster Paul Radden), and Helen Lukman-Fox (organ)
● Taonga pūoro by Riki Bennett
● Unsung Heroes, performing original works reflecting on Passchendaele and the Siege of Tobruk
● Music led by whānau of the 28th Māori Battalion
● University of Auckland Student Choir
● Laying of the wreaths, including:
○ 28th Māori Battalion (at plaque)
○ Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps (at plaque)
○ Royal New Zealand Engineers and other wreaths (Sappers’ Chapel)
● RNZE members will also play a central ceremonial role, including leading the procession, supporting the lighting of the Lamp of Remembrance, and laying a wreath within the Sappers’ Memorial Chapel.
Carried by community
A defining feature of the event is the generosity of those involved, with many performers giving their time in the spirit of remembrance.
Paul Radden, firefighter with the New Zealand Fire Service and Bandmaster of the Off Broadway Big Band, who has supported the event for several years, says:
Radden says: “It’s a privilege to be part of Art of Remembrance each year. Music brings people together in a way that allows us to honour those who came before us, while connecting in a way that feels both powerful and deeply personal.”
A living ANZAC legacy
Set within the beautifully restored heritage space known for its exceptional acoustics, Kāhui St David’s offers a uniquely immersive way to mark Anzac.
“Kāhui St David’s is a place where remembrance lives on – through art, music and community,” says Baragwanath.
“It is a space for reflection, connection and shared understanding, where the past is honoured and carried forward together.”
Following the service, attendees are invited to stay for hospitality and to experience the Art of Remembrance installation programme, continuing the evening’s theme of reflection through contemporary art.
For more information and to secure tickets, visit www.kahuistdavids.nz or Humantix.