A ceremony to honour Lieutenant Timothy O'Donnell, the first New Zealander to be killed in action in Afghanistan, has been held at the war memorial in Feilding on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old soldier died on 3 August in Bamyan province when the four-vehicle patrol he was leading was ambushed.
Two other New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were injured when one vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
The Feilding Returned and Services Association organised the ceremony, with help from the army.
RSA president Graham Kitchin says the service on Tuesday was in recognition that Lieutenant O'Donnell is the first local to be killed in action since World War II.
During the ceremony, a name plate for Lieutenant O'Donnell was unveiled on the war memorial by his father, Mark O'Donnell.
