Poppy Day Today

The annual Poppy Day Appeal embodies the core values of the RSA – remembrance and welfare.

Donations made to the Poppy Day Appeal are used to support RSA welfare services for returned servicemen and women in the locality in which the funds were raised.

It is the primary source of funds for the RSA’s extensive provision of welfare services to war veterans and the returned service community, and Poppy Day has been an important part of remembrance in New Zealand for over 80 years.

Poppy Day is usually observed on the Friday before ANZAC Day (25 April). At this time RSA volunteers distribute hundreds of thousands of red poppies throughout New Zealand in exchange for generous donations from the public. The poppies are traditionally then worn on the left lapel for a few days, but especially on ANZAC Day, to signify remembrance of the nation’s war dead and support for the valuable welfare work of the RSA.

Donations made to the Poppy Day Appeal are used to support RSA welfare services for returned servicemen and women in the locality in which the funds were raised. Recipients need not be members of an RSA to benefit from Poppy Day Appeal assistance, but must be returned services’ personnel or their dependants in need.

To support this valuable work, you are encouraged to make whatever donation you can afford on Poppy Day, or at any other time. The great generosity of the New Zealand public enables the RSA to continue its vital welfare work.