Open wallets and hearts for RSA appeal (+poll)

Street collectors will be out around the Bay today exchanging poppies for a donation.

RSA chief executive Stephen Clarke said the first RSA Poppy Appeal was held in 1922 and had grown since then.

A record $1.8 million was raised through the appeal last year.

The appeal has helped provide practical care and support to former servicemen and their families since the first Anzacs returned.

The Poppy Appeal is a local appeal nationwide.

Funds collected go to the local Poppy Trust to provide practical support for those in need.

RSA Support can cover specialist medical appointments, surgery, hospital visits, glasses, hearing aids and a range of other practical, social and emotional needs. Financial assistance is also available where essential needs cannot be met by other agencies.

"It's a common misconception that only soldiers from the first and second world wars required support, yet New Zealand has thousands of men, women and children who have been affected by conflict in more recent decades," Dr Clarke said.