“It makes our world a very sad place because we have no vision anymore, no peaceful vision,” one Anzac attendee told Newshub.
“You could be forgiven for thinking we had forgotten those lessons, it’s a trying time,” said another.
In the Middle East, peace is fractured and fraught, while efforts of diplomacy are in overdrive.
On Saturday, Peters will meet with Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – who just last week drew criticism for meeting with the chief of Hamas.
“That’s Türkiye’s business,” Peters said.
“But Hamas, under New Zealand designation recently, is a terrorist organisation,” he added.
Peters told Newshub he doesn’t judge people by their associates.
“Half the world believes that my enemy’s enemy is my friend – this is complicated.”
And commemorations like these serve as a constant reminder of what’s at stake.