Christchurch International Airport joins
Global prematurity campaign and ‘Lights Up Purple’

Landmarks around New Zealand will be lit up alongside international landmarks in a campaign for World Prematurity Day on 17 November.

This is the second year New Zealand has taken part in the ‘Lighting Up Purple’ campaign, which is designed to raise awareness of the 15 million babies born prematurely worldwide each year.

The exterior walls of Christchurch International Airport and the nearby Airways control tower are lighting up purple for ten days for the campaign again this year.

The airport’s Manager Communications Yvonne Densem says “We are pleased to use our distinctive lighting to ‘Light Up Purple’ and support this great cause. We have 6000 people working across this campus and most of them are family people who understand and value the skill required to assist neonatal care. If lighting the terminal and tower helps highlight that, we have done some good for Our Place in the World.”

Over 800 babies pass through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Christchurch hospital every year. These babies are either born premature, or require additional care due to complications or illness.

Among the other buildings turning purple across New Zealand are Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre, the Oamaru Opera House and the Clock Towers in Blenheim, Gisborne and New Plymouth. Past international participants include the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and the Trevi Fountain.

New Zealand’s lighting up campaign is headed by The Neonatal Trust New Zealand. The Trust supports families of premature and sick full-term babies across New Zealand.

A premature baby is born every 90 minutes on average in New Zealand. That’s more than 5,000 or 10 percent of all babies each year who have to go through a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). In addition to premature babies, sick full-term babies are cared for in neonatal units. The complications these babies face are often only apparent once the baby is born.

“The charity works to support neonatal families as they make their journey through a neonatal unit, the transition home and onwards” said Neil O’Styke, Executive Director of The Neonatal Trust.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support we receive and the willingness of these incredible landmarks to get involved. It’s just another example of the incredible support the New Zealand community gives charities.”

Many New Zealanders are personally affected, or have friends and family who have experienced premature births or had a sick baby require specialist care.

“It’s an issue which affects a significant amount of our population, and we are excited to see the New Zealand community get behind our campaign” he adds.

ENDS

© Scoop Media