A small west Auckland Returned and Services' Association has been robbed of the $2600 it collected through Anzac Day poppy sales.
The opportunist burglar came in through a side door of the Waitakere RSA while members were taking part in the local remembrance parade, TV One News reported.
The cash was stored in a safe, but it had been left unlocked.
Waitakere RSA president David Bell said the robbery had left him close to tears.
"I just can't believe it," he said.
One woman interviewed said the robbery was "absolutely despicable".
"To me it's akin to robbing from a soldier's grave."
