Source: AFS Intercultural Programmes New Zealand
Three exceptional New Zealand students are preparing for a journey of remembrance and discovery as they depart next month for the Gallipoli Peninsula. Awarded the AFS Gallipoli Youth Award 2026, Tim Kirke (Timaru),Takikawa Rangi (Te Puia Springs), and Lexie Knight (Tauranga) will travel to Türkiye from 7- 27 April to connect with their family histories and attend ANZAC Day commemorations.
The AFS Gallipoli Youth Award is a prestigious scholarship that selects recipients based on their dedicated research into their ancestors’ roles in World War I. This year’s winners each bringing a deeply personal story to the three-week exchange programme:
Tim Kirke (Timaru): Recognised for his outstanding presentation on his Great GreatGrandfather, Charles Sealy Verity, and how Verity’s legacy continues to influence Tim’s life today.
Takikawa Rangi (Te Puia Springs): Takikawa researched his Great Uncle Rere Hauiti of the First Māori Contingent, highlighting the sacrifices made to secure a better future for coming generations.
Lexie Knight (Tauranga): Lexie used family letters to create a moving account of her threeGreat Great Uncles – Herbert, George, and Douglas Knight – two of whom were involved in the Gallipoli campaign.
During their time in Türkiye, the students will be hosted by local Turkish families and participate in cultural activities. The programme is facilitated by AFS New Zealand and AFS Türkiye and is supported in part by the New Zealand Embassy to Türkiye.
The AFS Gallipoli Youth Awards 2026 are generously funded by the AFS Educational Trust and the Michael Jull Memorial Trust.
“This award embodies our core mission of creating a more just and peaceful world through understanding; a mission more relevant today than ever,” says Shirley Webb-Speight, National Director of AFS Intercultural Programmes New Zealand.
Originally founded in 1914 as a volunteer ambulance corps (the American Field Service), AFS has been sending New Zealand students abroad to foster global peace since 1947.
Media are invited to contact us for opportunities to follow the students’ journeys as they bridge the gap between New Zealand’s past and a global future.
About AFS: AFS Intercultural Programmes is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
