Hundreds of whānau, friends and comrades are celebrating the life of former New Zealand Defence soldier Kane Te Tai who was killed while fighting in Ukraine.
Te Tai, whose code name was Turtle, was killed in action in March while fighting with the International Legion in Vuhledar, part of the Donetsk region. He had served in Ukraine for almost a year.
The 38-year-old was making plans to leave the country with his Ukrainian fiancée before he died.
The celebration of his life began at 10am with a tangihanga at Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa Marae in Auckland's Devonport. From there Te Tai was driven in a convoy firstly around his old neighbourhood of Beach Haven before a service at 2pm at Waikumete Cemetery, Glen Eden.
