Cathay Pacific and Herald on Sunday pair up

October 14, 2008

Cathay Pacific and Herald on Sunday pair up to take NZ communities to new heights

Cathay Pacific Airways has teamed up with leading New Zealand newspaper, the Herald on Sunday, to present this year's Cathay Pacific High Flyers - 2008 New Zealand Community Awards, which have just opened for entry.

The Cathay Pacific High Flyers - 2008 New Zealand Community Awards (previously called the Cathay Pacific Community Travel Awards) were established in 1996 as part of the airline's 50th birthday celebrations and aim to help registered New Zealand charities to achieve their goals.

Each year as part of the awards, six New Zealand charities are selected to travel to a destination of their choice, to help improve their knowledge and skills, assist with research, or to attend relevant seminars or conferences in their areas of expertise.

David Figgins, Cathay Pacific Country Manager, New Zealand & Pacific Islands, said that the awards allowed the airline to give back to the local community.

"The awards provide us with the opportunity to give back to and support the local communities that support us," said Mr Figgins.

A judge of the awards since their inception, Mr Figgins said it was heartening to see the tremendous amount of work that so many New Zealand charities were carrying out in their local communities, much of which he said often goes unnoticed and unrecognised.

"We are incredibly proud to be supporting these community groups through these awards by providing travel assistance to help them to achieve their goals," said Mr Figgins.

Mr Figgins said that he was delighted that the Herald on Sunday had partnered with Cathay Pacific to present this year's awards.

"We are incredibly proud that the Herald on Sunday has come on board to support these awards, and that they share our enthusiasm and commitment to rewarding the success and efforts of New Zealand charitable organisations, who are out there working tirelessly in our communities - often without reward or recognition - providing services or support to those in need. We believe that this partnership will not only allow us to continue to support local community groups, but will assist us in elevating the awards to new heights."

Since the awards were established over 12 years ago, Cathay Pacific has assisted over 60 New Zealand charities to travel overseas through the annual travel award programme to destinations in Asia, Canada, the United States, the UK and Europe, and India.

Previous recipients of the award include: the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association; City of Manukau Education Trust; St John New Zealand; Habitat for Humanity; YWCA; NZ Dystonia Patients Network; Gifted Kids Programme; Books in Prisons Trust; Mary Potter Hospice; Kidney Kids of NZ; The Kaikohe (Rau Marama) Community Trust; Allergy New Zealand; Poly-Emp Employment & Advisory Service; The Nurse Maude Association; The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research; Big Buddy; MEND Trust (Mobility Equipment for Needs of Disabled) and The Mission to Seafarers, Auckland.

The Cathay Pacific High Flyers - 2008 New Zealand Community Awards are open to all registered charities in New Zealand, with entry to the awards closing on Friday, 14 November, 2008.

This year's six winning recipients will be announced in the November 30 edition of the Herald on Sunday.

Further information and entry forms for this year's Cathay Pacific High Flyer - 2008 New Zealand Community Awards can be found at www.cathaypacific.co.nz

ENDS

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