Ataturk Memorial

The Atatürk Memorial is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who served as a divisional commander at Gallipoli and the first president of the Republic of Turkey. It was designed by Ian Bowman and unveiled on 26 April 1990 by the Turkish Minister of Agriculture.

The memorial was our response to an agreement between the Turkish, Australian and New Zealand governments. At the request of the Australian government in 1984, the Turkish government renamed Ari Burnu Cove to Anzac Cove in memory of the Australian and New Zealand troops that died there during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War One. In turn the Turkish government asked that Canberra and Wellington build monuments for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The Atatürk Memorial is situated on the ridge above Tarakena Bay on the south coast of Wellington. This site was chosen due to its remarkable likeness to the stark geography of ANZAC Cove and because it was the training ground for the Wellington Infantry Battalion prior to their departure for the Middle East in 1914. The memorial consists of a curved structure sitting within a tiled area, which when seen from above replicate the crescent moon and star of the Turkish flag. There is also a bust of Atatürk, inscriptions and soil from ANZAC Cove.

The Wellington City Council Culture and Recreation Division Files provide information on the creation of Ataturk Memorial and the subsequent Rangitatau Historic Reserve. This includes the proposal and planning stages, as well as acquiring the surrounding land and developing it into a reserve. There are also discussions on how to acknowledge the land as significant to Mana Whenua and details of events commemorating World War One.