The body of Kiwi soldier Kane Te Tai is on the way back to New Zealand.
Newshub understands a memorial was held for him in Ukraine's capital Kyiv this week before he was transported to Poland in preparation for repatriation back home.
Kane was killed in action in March while fighting in Vuhledar, part of the Donetsk region. He had served in Ukraine for almost a year.
Details of his funeral have been released and will be held in Auckland next Thursday at The Trusts Arena.
Many of Kane's former military colleagues are expected to attend but Newshub has been told at this stage, no service chiefs from the New Zealand Defence Force will be there.
It's not yet known if Prime Minister Chris Hipkins or Defence Minister Andrew Little will attend on behalf of the Government.
More than $68,000 was raised publicly in three days to fund Kane's repatriation home.
Te Tai, also known as "Turtle", had been on the frontline in Ukraine for several months, often posting on social media about his work.
Aaron Wood, a close friend of the 38-year-old, told Newshub Late in March before his death was confirmed Te Tai always wore his heart on his sleeve.
"Kane has a massive heart, anybody that knows him at all, knows that. He co-founded No Duff Charitable Trust with me seven years ago in February and didn't hesitate to drop what he was doing on that day, respond to my phone call and go and support one of our fellow veterans," Wood told Newshub Late host Rebecca Wright.
"He's got a big heart to help people and he saw a situation in Ukraine that he felt he could apply his skills, his knowledge and his experience to and he went and did so."
Wood described Te Tai as someone who cares a lot, has a big heart and didn't take life too seriously.
"He's very gregarious, he's very cheeky, got a massive, wicked sense of humour and doesn't like to take life too seriously on the outside, although inside, he does wear his heart on a sleeve," Wood said.
"He's an easy guy to love and a guy like that who you can rely on in extreme circumstances, you don't run into that too often. He's a man amongst men is the best way I could put it."
Te Tai arrived in Ukraine in April 2022 and worked with a task force helping young women and children as young as 12 years old who have been trafficked.
He spoke to Newshub in August that year saying in the time he had been in Ukraine, he noticed some similarities between Ukrainians and Māori, including their warrior spirit.
"They're much like someone who grew up that didn't want to be Māori and are now trying to rediscover it, because they are part of the Soviet Union that ceased to be a thing in the '90s and they've just been trying to recapture what makes them Ukrainian," he said. "They're starting to look at a lot of things and a lot of old customs and a lot of old songs and they try to bring that back to identify themselves as being Ukrainian, and not being Russian.
"Ukraine is just trying to find that part of themselves. I like them and love him enough to still be here, despite a lot of stuff that's going on and Ukraine has captured my heart."
