Two-hundred-and-eighty collectors armed with 65,000 poppies will hit Dunedin streets today looking to beat last year's record collection.
Poppies will be available from 35 stands, 50 schools and 300 businesses throughout the city until Anzac Day on April 25.
The annual appeal raised $30,000 on the day last year.
Dunedin RSA administrator Sally Turner is encouraging people to support the cause and buy a poppy.
"I think everyone knows what Poppy Day is and what it represents,'' she said.
The RSA supported all returned and present servicemen and women and their families by providing services, including financial and medical, and through education, Ms Turner said.
Mr Shepherd said the money raised was for a very good cause.
"It's an act of remembrance.
"They have given the hard yards to serve their country in different capacities, so it is a payback, really,'' he said.
People could also expect to see collectors on the street in other centres around Otago, including Alexandra, Queenstown, Cromwell, Balclutha and Lawrence.
