Parliamentary Under-Secretary Jenny Marcroft will represent the government at Anzac Day commemorations in New Caledonia and open a new science facility in Nouméa.

“It is an honour to share these special commemorations with our Pacific friends and neighbours and to acknowledge the connections between New Zealand, New Caledonia and France,” Ms Marcroft says.

Thousands of New Zealand military personnel were based in New Caledonia over the course of World War II, with Bourail the Headquarters of the 3rd New Zealand Division.

Ms Marcroft will participate in the Anzac Dawn Service at Place Bir Hakeim in Nouméa and she will attend a second service at the New Zealand War Cemetery in Bourail on April 26.

There are 246 graves at the Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery. In addition, the Bourail Memorial commemorates over 200 members of the New Zealand Forces and Merchant Navy, and 169 members of the Western Pacific Local Forces who died during operations in the South Pacific and who have no known grave.

Ms Marcroft will also meet with Pacific Community (SPC) - the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region - and officially open a new science facility in Nouméa.

“The facility will enable important analytical work on the impacts of climate change on tuna fisheries and supports the training of Pacific Island scientists in fisheries and climate science.”

Ms Marcroft departs New Zealand April 24 and returns April 27.

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