The project to have a poppy on a number of Whanganui street signs may have stalled, but the idea has not been forgotten.
The Poppy Places Trust remembrance project - which has the backing of the Returned and Services Association as well as the NZ Transport Agency - wants towns and cities to recognise historic military events or brave soldiers by featuring a poppy at the end of signposts.
In Whanganui a start has been made on compiling that list of significant street names but just who will be leading the project remains in doubt.
Kyle Dalton, secretary-manager of the Wanganui Returned and Services Association, said adding a poppy to relevant street signs would add about 15cm (6 inches) to the end of each post.
Mr Dalton said the Whanganui District Council was putting together a list of relevant names in the city and there were more than a dozen that were applicable
The obvious ones are Anzac Pde and Somme Pde. Then there are Gunn St and Dustin St, named after the first two men from the Gonville area who died in World War 1.
He said about 18 months ago the RSA had been asked to collate the information and at that stage the council had unofficially endorsed the idea but who would pay for the new signs was not discussed.
"We know there are other local authorities around the country that have picked this idea up and run with it but that's probably because they had some well-meaning individual with time on their hands to lead the project. I think it's a great idea. It gives people an understanding of those particular place names."
The trust said that, with the official four-year commemorations of WWI ending in less than a year, it was calling for a renewed effort to get the project under way. It said it was also an opportunity to make sure that a generation which suffered huge casualties was not forgotten and to recognise sacrifices in other conflicts.
Project manager Joe Bolton said all that was needed was for local residents to take the request to their councils. That can happen by using a process set out on the trust's website, poppyplaces.nz, to replace or modify existing street signs with the addition of a red poppy to mark its significance.
Mr Bolton said the Poppy Places Trust can provide advice and support by emailing info@poppyplaces.nz and community information can be shared on Facebook at poppyplaces.nz