Anzac Day: poppies, wreaths and flowers for remembrance

When Anzac Day falls, and when it is observed

Anzac Day is always 25 April. When it lands on a weekend, Employment New Zealand explains that the public holiday is "Mondayised", moved to the following Monday for workers who would not otherwise have worked that day.

• 2026: Saturday 25 April, Mondayised to Monday 27 April.
• 2027: Sunday 25 April, Mondayised to Monday 26 April.
• 2028: Tuesday 25 April (calculated; the official 2028 list was not yet published when we checked).

The services themselves are held on the day, 25 April. The Mondayised holiday affects shop and delivery hours, so in 2026 and 2027 expect both the weekend and the Monday to be quiet for florists. Our flower calendar lists all the autumn dates.

The red poppy and the RSA street appeal

Poppy Day is the RSA's street appeal, held shortly before Anzac Day, when red poppies are offered on the street in return for a donation. The RSA's event page lists Poppy Day 2027 as 21 April 2027. Dates for other years are announced by the RSA, so check its website closer to the time.

The poppy you pin on your jacket comes from the appeal, not from a florist. If you would like a wreath or a floral tribute for a service, that is where a florist can help.

Ordering a wreath for a dawn or civic service

Wreath-laying is organised locally, and the arrangements differ from town to town. If your family, club, school or workplace wants to lay a wreath at a dawn or civic service, contact your local RSA well ahead to ask how it is organised and if you need to register.

For the wreath itself, a few practical points help:

• Order well before the day. Anzac Day is a public holiday, and many florists are closed or have short hours. A dawn service also starts long before shops open.
• Plan to collect or receive it the day before. Ask for delivery on the last working day before Anzac Day to an address where someone can keep it cool overnight.
• Check the card. Most wreaths carry a card with the name of the person or group laying it. Write it clearly so it can be read at the memorial.
• Allow extra time in rural areas. Addresses with an RD number can take longer to reach.

Services sections and war graves around the country

Many New Zealand cemeteries have a services or RSA section, and some hold Commonwealth war graves. A few examples from our town research:

• Featherston Cemetery holds 182 identified Commonwealth war casualties, 180 from the First World War and two from the Second. Featherston Military Camp was a major First World War training camp from 1916, and the town's Anzac Hall dates from the same year.
• At Waihi Cemetery, about 400 war-grave plaques in the RSA section were to be cleaned and restored by volunteers, including the Waihi Memorial RSA.
• Near Marton, work began in 2024 to add plots at Mt View Cemetery as its defence force veterans' area neared capacity; around half of the new plots, 56 of them, are set aside for veterans.
• Katikati Cemetery has a Returned Services section, and Geraldine Cemetery contains Commonwealth war graves from both world wars.
• Kopuatama Cemetery near Stratford holds Commonwealth war graves from both world wars, seven from each, and Picton Cemetery has an RSA section.

If a relative is buried in one of these sections, Anzac Day is a common time to visit with flowers.

If you live too far away to go yourself, keep in mind that delivery straight to a grave is often not possible, because a cemetery has no one to receive it. A relative or friend nearby can collect the flowers and place them for you, or you can have them delivered to their home the day before.

Cemetery rules on leaving flowers

Before you place flowers at a grave, check the local council's rules. They can be specific. Carterton District Council says floral tributes at Clareville Cemetery may be placed only on headstone bases, and flowers or shrubs may not be planted in lawn cemeteries. At Ōtorohanga Cemetery, flowers and adornments are allowed on headstone bases only in the lawn areas.

These rules keep lawn areas mowable and tidy for everyone. A low arrangement in a container that sits on the headstone base is usually the simplest choice. If you are sending flowers to a funeral rather than a grave, our funeral flower guide explains timing and etiquette.