White crosses symbolising 18,000 World War I dead given to NZ schools and playcentres

Thousands of white crosses, symbolising the 18,277 Kiwis who died during World War I, have been donated to every school and playcentre across New Zealand as preparations for the 100th anniversary of the armistice marking the end of the war ramp up.

The interest by schoolchildren and youngsters in learning more about the sacrifices made by men and women during the Great War 1914-18 has been one of the more striking features of the centenary commemorations which have been running over the past four years.

The Fields of Remembrance Trust, made up of the Passchendaele Society, the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association New Zealand and the Auckland RSA, was formed in 2012 to "honour those who served and fought for our nation" during WWI.

In a joint venture with the Ministry of Education, nearly 80,000 white crosses have been supplied to 2531 primary and secondary schools – while mini white crosses have been passed out to a staggering 4600 early childhood centres.

Each cross features the names and details of servicemen or women from the respective region. Along with other community activities, it's estimated there have been more than 8000 fields of remembrance across New Zealand over the past four years.

Vietnam veteran and Fields of Remembrance vice-chairman Graham Gibson praised the response of schools and young people to the war's centenary commemorations.

"It's a reflection on us as a nation, that we always honour the men and women who have served and fallen," said Gibson, who is also the Auckland RSA president.

"This is not about glorifying war, this is about service and sacrifice. We've had over 30,000 New Zealanders in all the wars give the ultimate sacrifice, give their life for our country. And if you go to Anzac Day events around the country, it's the young ones that are driving it and pushing it, and that's why we have incredible numbers because the young ones want to come out and do it."

World War I had a seismic impact on New Zealand society, with just under 10 per cent of its then population of 1.1 million serving overseas, and more than 18,200 killed and a further 41,300 wounded.

The white crosses and fields of remembrance are a way for modern-day Kiwis, and especially schoolchildren, to appreciate the staggering scale of the loss and heartbreak that affected every community. A cross for every one of the 18,277 New Zealanders who died during the war will be remembered with a named cross at Auckland Domain from October 20 to November 20.

May Road School in Auckland's Mt Roskill is one of the hundreds of primary schools to receive a pack of white crosses from the Fields of Remembrance Trust.

They've laid out memorial fields for the past Anzac Days, and held "powerful" memorial events.

Acting principal Beth Noakes said the initiative has helped pupils relate to the horrors and scale of the war.

"For our children, it has helped bring it home how the war really touched everybody," Noakes said.

"We have all cultures in our school and this has helped bring home the message of war, how it affects everybody, and that we never want to have that again."