I love the Islands – Wellington’s chance

NEWS RELEASE
22 October 2009

I love the Islands – Wellington’s chance to contribute

A fantastic line-up of performers will come together in Wellington on Monday night to raise money for the tsunami recovery effort in Samoa.

Scribe, Savage, The Yandall Sisters and the Laughing Samoans are just some of the musicians who will take to the stage at the Michael Fowler Centre for the I love the Islands concert.

The concert is the last in a series of Samoa relief concerts organised throughout the country to raise money for the victims of the tsunami that devastated Samoa on 30 September. Concerts held in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin have raised $250,000.

Rappers Savage and Scribe, the main drivers behind the event, lost family members in last month’s tsunami.

Many businesses and organisations are supporting the concert by donating their services. The Duxton Hotel and Hotel Grand Chancellor James Cook will accommodate the artists for free, Air New Zealand is flying the performers to Wellington free of charge, and the City Council will supply the venue, security and staff for the event, also for free. Ticketek has also agreed not to take commission from the sale of the concert tickets.

Acting Wellington Mayor Ray Ahipene-Mercer is encouraging Wellingtonians to attend Monday’s concert. “The generosity and support to the people of Samoa that has been shown by New Zealanders is amazing. “We have seen a tremendous outpouring of money, as well as the donation of people’s time and possessions like clothes and food for the people of Samoa.

“Now it’s Wellington’s turn to continue to stand alongside and support our local Samoan community. This concert is a great example of how the Samoan and New Zealand communities come together in such a time of need to show their unconditional support for one another.”

About 2000 people are expected at Monday’s concert.

Members of the Samoan community in New Zealand are overwhelmed at the generosity of New Zealanders. A member of the concert organising committee, Nari Auelua, says people in Samoa need resources to get on their feet again. “Our people are resilient and will face this challenge but they need our help to be able to do that.”

The I love the Islands concert kicks off at 7pm on Monday 26 October. Tickets cost $20 and are available from Ticketek www.ticketek.co.nz. All money raised from the concert will go to the Samoa Tsumani 2009 appeal - www.samoatsunami2009appeal.org

ENDS

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