Hundreds of people gathered at Kaiuku Marae in Māhia where poppies and white crosses were placed in the ground around the local war memorial.

Wairoa RSA president Jeremy Harker said Kaiuku Marae always had a big turnout for the dawn service.

"Obviously there’s a lot of understanding about the past, and I think this is a pretty special place and people like coming out here.

“It’s quite cool, you know the first place to see the light, so it works really well and it’s just a really special occasion.”