Poppy sellers without permits told to leave

6:44 pm on 20 April 2017

Auckland Transport has apologised to RSA members who were kicked out of a train station for selling Anzac Day poppies without a permit.

A NZ Anzac poppy

Photo: 123RF

Ōtāhuhu RSA treasurer Lesley Guptill said they had sold poppies at Ōtāhuhu Station for several years and never been told they needed a permit.

They were approached by a security guard this morning, who told them they were not allowed to be there and asked them to leave, she said.

"We felt terrible, because I'm a person who likes to do things the right way. Had I known we needed a permit, I would have got a permit," she said.

The RSA branch did have a permit to sell poppies in the suburb's streets, which Mrs Guptill said they applied for about three months in advance.

She would be checking to see how to apply for a permit for the train station for next year.

Auckland Transport said it had spoken to the security guards involved and told them they should use their discretion in these sorts of cases.

A spokesperson said a number of RSA branches had applied for permits to sell poppies at the Britomart and Manukau train stations tomorrow.

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