The first lot of earth works will be starting on Wednesday October 10 on the new Papamoa War Memorial.

The earth works will be taking place at the Stella Place carpark where come November 11, the memorial will stand.

Councillor for Tauranga City Council Steve Morris says that there are more additions planned to go with the memorial.

'Due to the generosity of Mike Burrows from Burrows Concrete, he is putting in the foundation and the plinths and we've got the granite spire which is going on top of the plinths. The granite is currently being engraved at the moment.”

'In addition to that, Sean Cowan from J. A. Russell Electrical in Mount Maunganui are going to be lighting the memorial up. So we are getting the wiring in to light it up and it'll be lit up before ANZAC Day next year.”

A flagstaff will also be going up at the memorial site, with a flag being donated from the local iwi Nga Potiki.

'A flag staff is a bit more sophisticated than just a flag. It is also a smaller version than the one you would find at Waitangi. The New Zealand Flag, donated by the local iwi, will be going on top. It's got some brilliant symbolism as well.”

'The flagstaff will be lit up at night as well, and that will be going up there and will be ready hopefully by ANZAC Day next year.”

'The priority is to get the memorial in by November 11 and then we will light it up and do some landscaping, and then put the flagstaff up which can fly three flags on ANZAC Day.”

Steve says that they are really dedicating the space to the memorial.

'We are also thinning out the trees from behind so that it is really visible from the road, and it will be lit up beautifully, and it will just be awesome.”

'I'm just so grateful to the Papamoa community because this is their memorial and they have fundraised for it totally. We have totally done it ourselves as a community and it's going to be a place that's suitably high profile up there and it's going to be a place for that.”

'It's going to be a place of a suitable size and scale and position that's going to reflect those who have given our lives so that we can live the way we do today.”

Man on the left is where the flagstaff will be and on the right is where the memorial will be. Image: Steve Morris.