Warriors lay poppies at Te Papa’s Gallipoli exhibition ahead of Anzac Day clash

Friday, 24 April 2026

Warriors co-captain Mitchell Barnett looks up at the figure of Cecil Malthus, after adding his own poppy tribute.

One New Zealand Warriors co‑captains James Fisher‑Harris and Mitchell Barnett, along with head coach Andrew Webster, visited Te Papa on Thursday to pay their respects to Anzac soldiers ahead of the team’s sold‑out Anzac Day match in Wellington.

The trio each laid a personalised poppy inside Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War, the museum’s landmark exhibition created in partnership with Wētā Workshop. Since opening in 2015, the immersive experience has become one of New Zealand’s most‑visited attractions.

Te Papa chief executive Courtney Johnston watched as the Warriors added their poppies to the thousands already left by visitors over the past decade.

“It’s an honour to have the Warriors here ahead of Saturday’s game, and to give them an opportunity to acknowledge our Anzac history,” said Johnston.

“We always see big numbers coming through Gallipoli over Anzac weekend, with many people returning again and again to pay tribute and explore the exhibition’s rich storytelling.”

More than five million people have visited the exhibition, leaving more than two million personalised paper poppies in remembrance. Many carry messages honouring relatives killed in battle, thanking soldiers for their service, or reflecting on the cost of war.

Saturday’s NRL Anzac Match between the Warriors and the Dolphins is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Wellington for the long weekend.

“We expect that lots of those visitors, both from Aotearoa and from Aussie, will come to Te Papa and visit Gallipoli while they are here,” Johnston said. .