Memorial to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president of the Republic of Türkiye. It is located on a ridge above Tarakena Bay on the south coast of Wellington.
The memorial looks out over Cook Strait and the site was chosen for its remarkable likeness to the landscape of the Gallipoli peninsula. It was the outcome of an agreement between the Turkish, Australian and New Zealand governments. The Atatürk memorial was our response to the Turkish government building a commemorative site at Anzac Cove (which they renamed from Ari Burnu).
The memorial was designed by Ian Bowman and was unveiled on 26 April 1990 by the Turkish Minister of Agriculture. The memorial comprises a marble crescent, a bust of Atatürk, inscriptions, and soil from Anzac Cove. In 1999, a paved forecourt and path, also designed by Bowman, and gravel car-parking areas were added with funding from the Turkish government.
Wreathlaying services are held at the memorial on Anzac Day (25 April), and during August by the Wellington Company of the Wellington and Hawke's Bay Battalion Group to commemorate the Battle for Chunuk Bair.
Jamie Mackay, 2011