A Letter from the General Manager
Hello All
Since the last newsletter in April, it is with relief that we have seen New Zealand emerging from the impact of lockdowns, and New Zealanders starting to adapt to living with COVID-19 in their communities. It has followed that wish application numbers are increasing as our patients become more confident to take the brave step towards the realisation of their wishes. Since my late update, we have granted the wishes of sixteen courageous New Zealanders, with four of these wishes being completed in the last week alone.
A recent visit to Queenstown confirmed what we are hearing in the news – hospitality and tourism are facing extreme staff shortages, while at the same time trying to rebuild and meet renewed demand after the extended closure of our border. It is therefore with complete gratitude that the businesses hardest hit by the pandemic, are still choosing to give wholeheartedly to support our patient’s wishes. It is simply the very best of humanity on display, and we cannot thank those who continue to answer our call for support enough. Without this support, our wish service would be cut by half.
With the year flying by, we are now looking forward to the South Island two day Targa and week-long Silver Fern South Island rally fundraisers which are set to start in October and November respectively. The team will put in some long but fun hours to hopefully match the success of the previous two events we have already attended this year, that have collectively raised $28,000 to support the cost of our wish service.
The other incredible event happening in September is the Hampton Downs Track Day. Make sure you scroll down to check out the details of this magical day!
We continue to work incredibly hard to deliver our beautiful wish service, and we have an exciting announcement in this newsletter regarding a Givealittle campaign we have been working on that kicks off next month. We ask for your support if you are able to contribute, even if in a small way.
Thank you so much for your continued belief in our beautiful work!
Helen Day – General Manager
Race4Life & The Funding Network New Zealand
Aroha’s MEGA Wedding and Honeymoon
Aroha, a young woman from Auckland, is the loving mother of two beautiful daughters. Her 5-year battle with cancer has been a courageous one, with many surgeries and treatments.
Aroha’s daughters have been her strength and George, partner and best friend, has been the rock of support for them all. It is therefore no surprise that Aroha’s greatest wish is to marry her sweetheart George and celebrate this with their daughters in a place that has great significance, Dunedin.
The historic and majestic Larnach Castle will graciously host the private wedding ceremony followed by a silver service wedding breakfast. An overnight stay in Larnach Castle will provide the perfect fairy tale ending to the very special day.
To ensure the family celebration and adventure continues, the newly-weds and girls will depart Larnach Castle to experience the sights and beauty of the surrounding area, including a Milford Sound Cruise, all to be enjoyed at their own pace, on a campervan honeymoon!
With this wish strongly connected to Dunedin, it made perfect sense to allocate the proceeds of the wonderful Mitre 10 MEGA Dunedin Targa raffle to this wish. The overwhelming generosity did not stop there however, as this wish resonated deeply with many other supporters who have also come on board to support Aroha.
We look forward to posting the much-anticipated wedding photos, and thanking all of those who made this gorgeous wish come true.
Thank you Mitre 10 MEGA Dunedin for supporting our Targa fundraising in such a beautiful and caring way. Your gift has made a huge contribution to this special wish, and we just know that this gorgeous family will share some magic moments in your beautiful part of New Zealand. The memories created will be carried home in their hearts and cherished forever.
GSI Insurance – Our incredible insurance adviser
We would like to take this opportunity to give a massive shout out to an amazing business with a very
big heart. GSI Insurance Partners have provided tailored insurance solutions to protectKiwis’ livelihoods, farms and businesses since 2005, and we are so incredibly grateful to also have their support.
Insurance cover has been provided to Race4Life by Glenn Stone free of charge for over 5 years now, and it has given us the peace of mind to offer our wish service to the 500+ New Zealanders who have had a wish granted over that time. The kindness has not stopped there however.
We are also thrilled to announce that GSI Insurance Partners will also provide the cover necessary for our Hampton Downs Track Day!!
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you GSI Insurance Partners.
Hampton Downs Track Day 2022
With less than a month to go until our North Island Track Day, we are literally counting down the days. On 26 September we will once again welcome 80 patients and 400 volunteers to this magical day at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in Te Kauwhata. It has been a real achievement to secure and organise this previously postponed event, and our hats are off to Race4Life founder Viv James who has given so much time and energy to ensure this day happens. It will be a day to share high octane experiences and create some beautiful cherished memories.
Patient registrations are still open to attend this day!
Please email anastasia@race4life.org.nz if you are interested.
Targa South Island & Silver Fern Rally 2022
We had a great time at the Central North Island five day Targa in May, and even got to see one of our wishes, which was to take part in this great event, come true! A fantastic $16,000 was raised over the event!
The success of this event would not have been possible without the AMAZING donations from some fantastic businesses. A big thank you needs to go out to all of the businesses below. We simply could not do these events without their backing.
The team travels to Nelson for the next Targa event. Our lucky auction winner will win an amazing Queenstown luxury escape which has been donated by some of our incredible Central Otago supporters. Targa is quickly followed by the prestigious Silver Fern Rally, which will see the team chasing the teams who will cover 1,000km of some of the best gravel roads and scenery in the world, across the lovely South Island. Good times!!!!!
Our beautiful work!
Donate to support the work we are doing in the palliative care community!
Race4Life is very much focused on granting as many wishes as we can, and are working to reach as many palliative care New Zealanders as possible. If you would like to help a New Zealander with a life limiting illness realise their dream, please do by clicking the button below.
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