The theme for this year's event, Never Give Up, Never Forget, said it all, one of the organisers from the Working Together Group, Sarah Loftus, said.
Seven centres in New Zealand marked the occasion last night ahead of the official opening ceremony in Lilongwe, Malawi, one of the countries hit hardest by the disease.
Throughout the world, 1500 places in 119 countries will hold memorial events.
It is estimated that 33 million people are infected with HIV/Aids worldwide and last year about two million people died, including more than 300,000 children.
In a letter read at the St Paul's memorial, international candlelight co-ordinator for Oceania Eamonn Smythe said while it was a time to remember those who had died, it was also a time for people to keep in their hearts the thousands living with HIV who could be facing the side-effects of medication or the stigma and discrimination the condition brought.
During the open microphone section of the Dunedin memorial, a woman urged people to encourage young family members travelling overseas to be careful when considering sexual encounters.
The new dean of St Paul's, the Very Rev Gavin Yates, officiated at the Dunedin occasion, which included viewing of Aids quilts made to remember who had died.
Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin read a letter from Prime Minister Helen Clark and letters were read from Governor-General Anand Satyanand and National Party leader John Key.
