Rosemary for Remembrance

The New Zealand Remembrance Army, encourages the use of rosemary at working bees and commemorations, on lapels, in wreaths, and placed gently at restored graves.

Rosemary has been a symbol of remembrance since antiquity, and can be worn on Anzac Day in New Zealand and Australia. It grows wild across the Gallipoli peninsula, the landscape that shaped the first ANZACs and our national day of commemoration.

That living link gives the herb a special resonance in New Zealand and Australia.

War time accounts describe the distinct aroma of rosemary on Gallipoli’s slopes, a sensory reminder that become entwined with memories of the campaign for veterans.

It is uncertain exactly when New Zealanders first began wearing rosemary on Anzac Day, but the practice quickly became a regular feature of remembrance in the years following the first national Anzac Day observance in 1916. The red poppy later became the prominent symbol after the 1921 shipment of poppies arrived too late for Armistice Day and they were used for the following Anzac Day in 1922.

What NZRA does to support the rosemary tradition

• We invite volunteers and whānau to wear a sprig of rosemary at working bees and on Anzac Day – especially during dawn services and local ceremonies. It’s a small act with a powerful connection to Gallipoli and the long‑standing association of rosemary with remembrance.
• We include rosemary in wreaths and place sprigs respectfully at restored graves, linking our conservation work to the stories and senses of the campaign.
• We share the history behind the herb in our web and social content, highlighting that rosemary’s presence at Gallipoli and its historic role in remembrance make it a fitting symbol in New Zealand.

Wearing rosemary is a tangible way to remember with our senses, honouring those who served and connecting today’s communities to the places and stories that shaped Anzac Day.