Anzac Day is being commemorated by the 400 Defence Force personnel serving in Afghanistan, Timor and the Solomon Islands.
In Afghanistan, where some 140 soldiers are stationed in Bamyan province, New Zealanders will be joined at dawn services by service personnel from Australia and several other countries.
The commander of New Zealand soldiers, Lieutenant Colonel Pete Hall, says commemorations in Afghanistan will be particularly moving.
"We are in a country where New Zealanders have died so that makes it more poignant," he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Hall says soldiers on operations overseas have a close bond that makes it easier to remember what former soldiers have done.
In East Timor, a dawn service in the capital Dili is being co-hosted by the New Zealand and Australian ambassadors.
Up to 500 people from New Zealand and Australia are expected to attend, along with Timorese government representatives.
The senior New Zealand officer in East Timor, Navy commander Andrew Nuttall, says most of the deployment will return home in three weeks, and the ceremonies of Anzac Day are a good way to end the mission.
In the Solomon Islands, the local communities commemorate their ancestors' efforts as coast watchers during WWII.
Tribute from Clinton
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent an Anzac Day tribute to the armed forces of New Zealand and Australia, who she says have have served with dedication, courage, and sacrifice.
Mrs Clinton says the brave soldiers who were working for peace 70 years ago are also remembered for their efforts at a time when the Pacific faced an uncertain future.
Their descendants now enjoy countless freedoms because of the sacrifices and dedication made by those troops who stood up for the tenets of democracy, she says.
