Judith Collins walks in her father's footsteps at Monte Cassino

It was a moment Judith Collins has waited forever for.

Eighty years ago, the Defence Minister's father fought in the Monte Cassino Battles, one of the deadliest for New Zealand during World War II. Since then, she's been looking for the right moment to come.

King Country dairy farmer Percy Collins was in his early 20s with his first child on the way when he left for the war.

"He got called up and his mother wanted to apply for exemption because he was critical to run the farm and he didn't. I asked him why he didn’t and he said 'it seemed like a good idea to me at the time' – he was a tough old boy actually," Collins said.

Cassino was a key point in the Gustav Line — a chain of German defences in the Italian mountains south of Rome. The battles to capture the town would ultimately open the pathway to the liberation of Rome and success in the Italian campaign.

It also proved to be one of the most costly battles for New Zealand. In total, 343 soldiers lost their lives. The close-combat ferocity of the fighting there had few parallels during World War II.

"We'd had other battles before but this I've got to say, with the terrain, and what they were up against, the weather conditions and the staunchness of their opposition… it was one of the defining moments of New Zealand history," said Collins.

"This campaign is often forgotten, or not given as much credit as it should be. These were tough men, fighting in tough conditions, and I'm just so pleased he survived."

Percy Collins eventually died in 1994. Despite surviving, he was clearly deeply scarred by his time. Being the youngest of five children, the Judith Collins said she heard more about the war than her other siblings — but he still rarely talked about it.

"He used to say, if someone talked a lot about the war they probably weren't there. And actually that's my experience of veterans," she said.

"He also never wanted to come here again, or even leave New Zealand, and he never did. He said 'there’s nothing good in Europe', so here I am today for him.

"I'm bringing him back because he couldn't do it."

Sir Robert 'Bom' Gillies' vow

At 99 years old, the last remaining member of the 28th Maori Battalion has said he will keep flying back to Cassino to honour his fallen colleagues as long as he's alive.

Sir Robert Gillies made the comments during his trip to Italy where he's been commemorating 80 years since one of New Zealand's bloodiest battles.

He’s been back to the site seven times now, where he fought and 343 soldiers lost their lives.

At the ceremony, Sir Robert laid a wreath and shook hands with the Dutchess of Edinburgh who was there representing the king.

He was accompanied by his family and iwi.