Rugby Legend Renee Holmes backs the AA’s Lollipop Legends after being hit by a drunk driver

New competition celebrates the Kiwi kids helping keep their communities safe

18 June 2026

Following a serious car crash earlier this year, rugby legend Renee Holmes is partnering with the AA to launch a nationwide competition celebrating New Zealand’s small but mighty road safety champions.

The Lollipop Legends competition will award two schools $10,000 each to fund projects that improve safety for students and their wider community, recognising the critical role school road patrol teams play across Aotearoa.

For Holmes, the initiative has a deeply personal connection. A former school road patroller herself, she recently experienced a powerful reminder of how unpredictable New Zealand's roads can be. Holmes was in the car with her three young nieces and nephews, when they were hit by a drunk driver, right around school pick-up time.

While everyone walked away unharmed, the experience left a lasting reminder for the Aunty of 11. "After the crash, I've been thinking a lot about how important road safety is for Kiwi families. It reminded me that even when you're doing everything right, things can happen unexpectedly, which is why programmes that help keep children safe are so valuable,” said Holmes.

Keeping kids safe on the school run

New Zealand’s road safety outcomes have improved significantly over time, with road deaths falling to 272 fatalities in 2025^[1]. However, the vulnerability of young pedestrians remains a major priority.

In the opening weeks of the 2026 school year alone, five children were struck by vehicles around New Zealand, including two separate incidents on a single morning.

Every school day, an army of students at more than 1,200 schools across New Zealand volunteer as road patrollers, helping their classmates safely cross roads before and after school.

AA’s Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer Simon Douglas says school patrols play an important role in helping young people build safe habits around roads from an early age.

"Young Kiwi need to learn how to be safe around roads from an early age. School patrols help reinforce those lessons, while creating safer journeys to and from school for thousands of Kiwi families. We know many schools have great ideas that would make their environment safer but don't always have the resources to bring them to life, and this funding is an opportunity to change that.”

About Lollipop Legends

The AA is now inviting schools across New Zealand to nominate their road patrol teams for the chance to win one of two $10,000 grants and a special celebration event attended by rugby legend Renee Holmes.

Schools participating in the national road patrol programme can enter by sharing how they would use the funding to improve safety for students and the wider community, and the difference the grant would make to their school.

The grants could fund a wide range of initiatives, from bike storage facilities and playground improvements to safety-focused murals or other projects that help create safer school environments.

Entries will be reviewed by a judging panel made up of representatives from the AA, New Zealand Police, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and the Safe and Sustainable Transport Association.

"Every school has its own unique safety challenges. Through Lollipop Legends, we want to help local schools invest in projects that will make a lasting difference,” says Simon.

Entries for Lollipop Legends close on Sunday 26 July 2026. Enter at www.aa.co.nz/lollipop-legends.