Two days of ceremonies are underway in Turkey to remember the battle for Gallipoli during the First World War. 

Prime Minister Helen Clark told a ceremony to honour Turkish soldiers that the battlefields of Gallipoli, where so much blood was shed, has become near sacred soil. 

Around 20,000 people are expected at the dawn service at Gallipoli, which starts mid afternoon New Zealand time on Monday. 

Meanwhile dawn services have been held throughout New Zealand, with many people braving bitter weather to turn out.

In Wellington, about 1000 people gathered at the Cenotaph near the Parliament  buildings in Wellington.

Speaking at the service, National Party leader Don Brash emphasised the importance of our armed forces, saying it would dishonour the memory of the Anzacs to let them atrophy. 

In Auckland thousands of people attended the dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. 

Dame Syliva Cartwright addressed the crowd, saying it was possibly the biggest gathering of veterans in New Zealand. 

She pointed out that it is the first time New Zealanders have commemorated Anzac Day with the Unknown Warrior present in the country. 

The soldier's remains were returned from France last year and are interred at the National War Memorial in Wellington.