When Hazel Redmond received her wish from Make-A-Wish New Zealand in 2012 at the age of 16, she did not imagine that she’d be scaling a 17-storey building several years later to raise funds to help others receive their one true wish. Hazel was one of the 54 participants in Make-A-Wish NZ’s inaugural ‘Rope for Hope’ fundraising event, held in Auckland on 15-16 November. The event, a first of its kind in New Zealand, required participants to abseil down a central-city high-rise building in Auckland, with a fundraising goal to collectively raise $100,000 from individual sponsorship efforts, with funds raised to aid the granting of wishes to Kiwi kids who battle critical illnesses.

Not for the faint-hearted, ’Rope For Hope’ set the challenge for Kiwis to raise funds as individuals or teams, each participant facing their own fears to scale 17 storeys down a rope for Make-A-Wish NZ. Fifty-four brave Kiwis registered to take part in the event, abseiling down the iconic 17-storey building at 205 Queen Street, located on the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets in Auckland’s CBD.

Hazel, whose wish was to meet NZ fashion designer Karen Walker, was amongst the 54 participants made up of other former Wish children, Make-A-Wish NZ executive and board members, corporate partners, VIPs, and members of the public; all egged-on by enthusiastic Make-A-Wish supporters and cheerleaders on the ground.

Participants raised funds through pledges from friends, family, co-workers and the public for their participation, with the top fundraiser, Brittany Williams, individually raising over $8,000 (see top team and individual leader board below).
“We have been absolutely amazed at the courage and fearless support from this year’s Rope for Hope participants. Thank you to our brave first-timers and all those that pledged their support to our event, we are thrilled to have reached our fundraising goal and look forward to another great event in 2019,” says Pam Elgar, CEO of Make-A-Wish New Zealand.
“Every day in New Zealand a family will be told their child has a critical illness. For each of these children and their families, this news is the start of a journey of hospital stays and treatments – the child missing out on the everyday pleasures of childhood. The experience of having their ‘one true wish’ fulfilled gives a child and their family many moments of hope, strength, confidence and joy that make a real difference in coping with the stresses and strains of managing their condition. The funds raised through Rope for Hope ensure we continue to deliver wishes to these brave kids,” says Ms Elgar.
Tower One, the 17-storey building at 205 Queen Street, owned by Roxy-Pacific Holdings Limited provided the perfect location for the event. As well as providing the venue for the event, Ben Hopkins, Managing Director of Roxy-Pacific Holdings Limited also participated in the event, raising over $2,000 and donating an additional $10,000 in corporate sponsorship.

Following the success of this year’s inaugural event, Make-A-Wish New Zealand intends to make this a regular fundraising event for the organisation with planning for the ‘2019 Rope for Hope’ already underway. To register your interest or enquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact: shona@makeawish.org.nz.

If you’d like to help make wishes come true for Kiwi kids with critical illnesses, please visit www.makeawish.org.nz and make a donation online.

Rope for Hope 2018 - Top Individual Fundraisers
• Brittany Williams $8,221
• Ross Buckley - KPMG $6,332
• Team Coulam $4,170
• Shona Brown $3,728
• Kim Conner _ Canon NZ $2,910
• Matthew Ansell $2,681
• Coombsey $2,648
• Gurudev Hiremath (Canon) $2,545
• Bronagh Campbell $2,445
• Ben Hopkins $2,010

Rope for Hope 2018 - Top Team Fundraisers
• Travel Managers Group
and Executive Travel $5,675
• Team Coulam $4,170
• 1DELTA10TANGO Ambos $3,343
• Auckland City District Police $3,209

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