- 19 February 2008

Buy rare bag, save rare dolphins

Now you can help WWF save Maui*s and Hector*s dolphins and look good while you*re doing it.

Starting this week, 16 one-off designer bags are being auctioned on Trade Me to help raise money for WWF*s campaign to protect New Zealand*s endangered native dolphins. Get along to www.trademe.co.nz - just enter *Spicers Paper* in the search box - and place your bid.

Only about 111 critically endangered Maui*s dolphins remain, and the number of Hector*s has dropped to an estimated 7270.

The fundraising bags have been handmade by funky accessory design group WAS, using recycled billboards that were part of WWF*s earlier Hector*s and Maui*s campaign.

The auction is the inspiration of Spicers Paper, a long-time WWF-New Zealand supporter. For every tonne of recycled 9Lives paper sold, Spicers donates $20 to local WWF-New Zealand conservation projects.

Spicers will auction the 16 handmade WAS originals on Trade Me, from 16 February. All money raised is being donated to WWF*s Stop their Extinction campaign to save the dolphins.

Carolyn Lockstone, Marketing Manager for Spicers Paper came up with the idea. She says: *Spicers Paper are delighted to be able to help WWF New Zealand save the dolphins, they're part of our natural heritage, so when approached by WWF-New Zealand to produce a billboard to help save them, we were delighted. Having recently moved into a new building, the old billboard had to come down, rather than send to landfill we came up with the idea for WAS bags to recycle them into limited edition satchels. These are a once in a lifetime opportunity to have a unique recycled satchel and we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to save our endangered dolphins. All money raised goes directly to WWF-New Zealand so please dig deep and bid high!*

For more about our Hector*s and Maui*s dolphin campaign, visit www.wwf.org.nz/stoptheirextinction

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