Poppy Day is the RNZRSA’s main fundraising activity. Donations collected on Poppy Day help us improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for New Zealand’s veterans of all ages. The RSA was established in 1916 with the aim of taking care of New Zealand’s veterans and their families as soldiers returned from Gallipoli. While today’s soldiers face different challenges, our support to them and their whanau continues.The first poppy appeal in 1922 netted 13,166 pounds – poppies were sold for one shilling each. Today’s poppies are sold for a gold coin donation and we average close to a million poppies sold each year.

Please donate generously to the Waiheke RSA this Poppy Day:

The ANZAC Legacy

The ANZAC story began on 25 April 1915, when 20,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli, Turkey, under heavy fire. For eight gruelling months, they fought in brutal conditions alongside Allied forces against determined Ottoman defenders.By the end of the campaign, over 130,000 soldiers had died, including 2,779 New Zealanders. It was New Zealand’s first major battle of WWI, leaving a deep and lasting impact on the nation.Since then, ANZAC Day has been a time of remembrance, evolving with our society to honour not only the fallen but all who have served — in war, conflict, and disaster response.Today, ANZAC stands for more than a battlefield; it reflects the values we hold dear: courage, commitment, comradeship, and integrity.