New Zealand’s biggest fundraisers
The appeals, galas and challenges that raise the most in New Zealand, ranked by the latest published total. The totals aren’t all measured the same way (one night, a whole campaign, a running tally), so read each one’s note. Each one has a trick a school or club can borrow at a smaller scale.
- 1$13mapprox.
NZME Cyclone Gabrielle appeal for NZ Red Cross Disaster Fund
Three-week NZ Herald homepage campaign plus listener appeals across NZME radio; The Hits' Jono & Ben drove 1,600km round Mt Smart Stadium in a golf cart with text-to-donate codes.
Copy it small: Pair a silly, watchable endurance stunt with a text-to-donate code and post running updates.
NZME says it 'helped raise' $13m into the wider Red Cross fund (total fund $28.8m). A disaster appeal, not a repeatable annual event.
- 2$3.9m
Hato Hone St John Annual Appeal
Annual June appeal (street collection and donations) funding ambulance station building projects.
Copy it small: Tie the appeal to a visible build or purchase people can watch get finished.
2025 goal was $4.5m; no 2025 result found.
- 3$3.81mapprox.
Pink Ribbon Breakfast
6,096 people registered to host a breakfast, morning tea, lunch or dinner in May and fundraised from guests via personal pages; hosts unlock rewards at $350, $750, $1,250 and $2,500.
Copy it small: Spread one event across many small hosts, each with a tiered target and a small reward at each level.
Closed campaign page total; may be online/registered funds rather than audited.
- 4$3.65m
Star Gala (inaugural)
Invite-only gala for about 250 business leaders and philanthropists, raising for one named project (cell and gene therapies at Starship); one family gave $1m on the night.
Copy it small: Tie the night to one concrete thing the money buys, and line up a lead donor beforehand to set the pace.
Held 9 May 2026. NBR is paywalled; figure is in the free intro.
- 5$2.52m
Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge
Firefighters climb the Sky Tower's 51 flights in full gear after raising sponsorship; in 2026 more than 1,102 firefighters from 279 brigades climbed.
Copy it small: Pick one hard, visible physical feat tied to an identity your group already has (uniform, team, school house) and have every member collect sponsorship.
Up from about $2m in 2024. Five small volunteer brigades together raised $113,709 (ODT).
- 6$2m
KidsCan emergency food parcel appeal + Meridian match
The public gave $1m for COVID-19 emergency food parcels and Meridian matched it with another $1m.
Copy it small: Find a local business to match donations dollar-for-dollar; a match lifts what people give.
Includes the $1m corporate match.
- 7$1.98m
Westpac Chopper Appeal
Annual appeal now 44 years old: bucket collections, cycling challenges, quiz nights and bake sales; Westpac pays marketing and admin so every dollar goes to the donor's local trust.
Copy it small: Tell donors the money stays local, and if a sponsor really covers every cost, say so.
Record total; earlier records $1.44m and $1.5m.
- 8$1.2m
Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal
Annual in-store appeal for children's hospitals, with store teams running walks, head shaves, quiz nights and car rallies.
Copy it small: Run one recurring appeal at the same time every year so supporters expect it and it grows.
Old figure; cumulative $12.8m 2007-2018. No more recent annual figure found.
- 9$1mapprox.
Variety Christmas Appeal
Christmas campaign funding food for families in need; in 2025 PAK'nSAVE North Island matched customer donations up to $50,000.
Copy it small: Get a local business to match donations up to a cap.
Derived: source says 'four times the $250,000 target'; no exact dollar figure published.
- 10$836,388
Farmers Christmas campaign for Hospice (Tree of Remembrance and baubles)
Shoppers give at the counter for a remembrance card hung on an in-store tree; Farmers also sells $15.99 baubles with 100% going to the local hospice.
Copy it small: Run a 'tree of remembrance' at a school fair or clubrooms where people give a koha to hang a card for a loved one.
2024 (11th year) raised $1,005,949.80.
- 11$775,000
Dry July NZ
Participants give up alcohol for July and seek sponsorship; 'Golden Tickets' (min $25 donation) buy a night off. Funds go to Cancer Support NZ, Prostate Cancer Foundation and PINC & STEEL.
Copy it small: Sell a 'golden ticket' that lets a participant skip one day of the challenge for a set donation.
'Over $775,000' final for 2025. 2026 live tally $573,535 (not final). Over $11m since 2012.
- 12$742,000approx.
The Push-Up Challenge (NZ)
Over three weeks participants work toward 2,000 push-ups, each day's target tied to a mental-health statistic, and raise sponsorship; 25,000+ took part.
Copy it small: Set a daily counted target for a fixed number of days and attach a fact to each day's number.
'More than $742,000' on the final day; first NZ year.
- 13$730,000
Pink Ribbon Street Appeal
Two-day October street collection; volunteers in pink sashes do two-hour bucket shifts and hand out breast-health information.
Copy it small: Ask for short fixed two-hour shifts to recruit many volunteers, and give them a uniform item.
Old figure (2017, 9,000+ volunteers). No recent national total found.
- 14$671,000approx.
Pink Shirt Day (Cotton On partnership)
Anti-bullying day where schools and workplaces wear pink and donate; Cotton On sells Pink Shirt Day merchandise and takes in-store donations.
Copy it small: Hold a mufti or theme-colour day with gold-coin entry and sell a simple themed item (badge, ribbon).
Cotton On channel only, as at 20 May 2026; whole-campaign total not found. Over $3m via Cotton On since 2019.
- 15$650,000
KidsCan '15for15' Winter Appeal
Framed $15 as enough to feed and equip a child in hardship and asked for monthly gifts; 851 new monthly donors signed up.
Copy it small: Price the ask as one simple unit ('$15 = one child's ...') and offer a monthly option.
'Over $650,000' against a $500,000 target.
- 16$516,266
Relay For Life (Auckland/Northland)
Teams keep a member walking a track for 12 hours, with celebration, remembrance and 'fight back' ceremonies, after raising sponsorship.
Copy it small: Run a relay where a team keeps one person moving on a field for set hours, with a lantern moment for those remembered.
Regional only; about 16,000 people across 13 events nationally in 2025. Wellington 2026 'over $600,000' (Facebook update).
- 17$500,000
10 - A Celebration of Tastes
Annual food-led fundraising dinner for the hospice.
Copy it small: Build the night round donated food from local chefs so the meal is the draw and the ticket is mostly margin.
'More than $500,000'; year inferred from event date (Sunday 28 June = 2026).
- 18$500,000approx.
Auckland Marathon charity fundraising
Runners fundraise for 10 partner charities or their own; 'Charity Superstars' who commit to a minimum (e.g. $1,750) get free entry.
Copy it small: Give a free entry or perk to anyone who raises over a set amount for your group in an existing local fun run.
'Nearly $500,000 ... total set to rise' on race day.
- 19$469,215
McHappy Season
Restaurants donate from sales of McHappy Cookies and Big Macs, plus till round-ups, donations and crew fundraising.
Copy it small: Name one 'hero item' whose sale goes to the cause, and offer a round-up at the till.
McHappy Day 2023 raised 'over $320,000'.
- 20$412,000
The Cook Off
Senior business leaders, coached by top chefs, cook a four-course meal for 200+ Mission guests and fundraise from their networks beforehand; teams compete on a leaderboard.
Copy it small: Get local leaders (principal, coach, business owners) to cook or serve and each fundraise from their own networks, with a public team leaderboard.
'Over $412,000' for 25,000 meals. 2025 raised $372,721 against a $310,000 goal.
donate.aucklandcitymission.org.nz · donate.aucklandcitymission.org.nz
- 21$380,000approx.
Walk 50K This May
Participants walk 50km over May at their own pace and raise sponsorship; 3,000+ took part.
Copy it small: Use a month-long distance target anyone can manage (about 1.6km a day) so families and older supporters can join.
'Over $380,000' reported 22 May 2024, part-way through the month.
- 22$330,000
Child Cancer Foundation Street Appeal
Two-day national street collection; teams 'adopt' a site, 20 mayors competed in a challenge, and people could text a 'virtual coin'.
Copy it small: Let a team adopt one collection spot for a day and get a local figure to compete publicly for the biggest bucket.
Record, against a $225,000 goal.
- 23$277,878approx.
Red Nose Day
A month of July events ending on Red Nose Day; people pledge to do something silly, host events, or fundraise at school or work.
Copy it small: Use 'dare' pledges: when the team hits a target, the coach or principal does something embarrassing.
Live online tally ($277,878 of a $300,000 goal), not a final total.
- 24$193,000
Cure Kids 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner
460 guests at the Pullman Auckland; tickets plus a live auction of donated packages (a donated necklace sold for $20,000).
Copy it small: Ask for one standout donated item as the headline auction lot rather than many small ones.
- 25$140,000
Daffodil Day (Nelson Tasman only)
August street appeal with buckets, daffodil pins and fresh daffodils, alongside about 1,200 registered community, school and workplace fundraisers nationally.
Copy it small: Give donors something small to wear (pin, ribbon) so every gift is visible and prompts the next person.
Regional only; no national Daffodil Day total found (see unverified).
- 26$138,000
Christchurch Supper Club (20th anniversary)
Guests are bussed to one of several top Christchurch restaurants by random draw; money from table sales, auctions, sponsorship and donations.
Copy it small: Run a 'mystery dinner' where guests don't know which host home or cafe they're going to until the night.
Instagram post; year inferred from neighbouring posts.
- 27$138,000approx.
Shine for a Cure
Evening 5km lantern walk in Auckland and Christchurch; raising $100 earns a lantern and $1,000+ a hoodie.
Copy it small: Tie reward tiers to fundraising totals and hold the event at dusk so the visual draws people in.
'Over $138,000' per Facebook post summary.
- 28$105,000
Bucket List Banquet
600+ guests at Claudelands with a celebrity MC; the caterer donated the four-course dinner and drinks and businesses donated auction items.
Copy it small: Get the food and drink donated so every ticket dollar is profit.
Old figure (2014).
- 29$100,000approx.
Women's Refuge Winter Appeal ('It Takes Seven')
National winter campaign; earlier years reported results as 'safe nights' funded.
Copy it small: Turn dollars into a concrete unit (one night, one meal) and show a running count.
'Just over $100,000'.
- 30$92,796
SPCA Cupcake Day
Individuals, workplaces and schools bake and sell cupcakes on the national day and bank money through fundraising pages; prizes for top fundraisers.
Copy it small: Run a bake sale on a named national day so you can borrow the charity's branding and publicity.
2024 was $50,263; over $2.6m since 2009.
- 31$86,000
BestStart Butterfly Appeal for Plunket
Children and educators at BestStart centres run their own small fundraisers (reading challenges, teddy bear picnics, wheel-a-thons, raffles).
Copy it small: Have each class run one small 'thon' or raffle under one shared appeal name and total.
2025 raised a record $91,000.
- 32$32,113approx.
Craigs 50km A Day Challenge
Teams cover distance across March and raise money for one of 11 rescue helicopter trusts; Craigs matches up to $25,000.
Copy it small: Find a local business to match donations up to a cap and advertise the doubling.
Givealittle event total; unclear whether the match is included. 2025: $27,022.
Home and car lotteries
The big prize lotteries (a furnished house, a new car) raise serious money, but only at a scale no school or club should try first. For Goods Sake doesn’t run or sell these. They’re here so you know how they work.
Heart Foundation Home Lottery (No. 165)
Furnished Jennian home in Omokoroa valued at $1,170,000; 2nd $15,000 travel; bonus Toyota Hybrid, $10,000 cash, $7,500 Prezzy card. Tickets $15. Class 3, licence LT090001030.
National Heart Foundation of NZ (CC23052). Where the money goes: 'The net proceeds of the Lottery programme will be used to advance the Heart Foundation's work...' No percentage published.
290,000 tickets per lottery, seven lotteries a year; drawn 19 Nov 2026. Stuff: over 30 years it helped invest 'more than $90 million in heart research'. Derived (not published): max gross per draw 290,000 x $15 = $4.35m.
Coastguard Lottery (No. 129 and No. 128)
L129: $152,500 total incl. $125,000 cash. L128: $260,000 vehicle/boat/travel package. Tickets L129 $25; L128 $65 (1), $55 each (2), $50 each (3+). Class 3: LT090001045 (L129), LT090001034 (L128).
Royal New Zealand Coastguard. Where the money goes: 'Every ticket purchased helps Coastguard continue saving lives on the water.' No percentage published.
L129 28,000 tickets; L128 15,000 tickets. Derived: L129 max gross $700,000 against $152,500 of prizes.
Northern Rescue (Auckland & Northland Rescue Helicopter) lotteries
Recent: $315,000 1969 Dodge Charger R/T. Live: 1986 Mazda RX-7 (about $80,000) and an Extreme Lottery $400,000+ boat and Ford Ranger package. Tickets Not shown on homepage. Class 3 (number not shown).
Northern Rescue (CC59462). Where the money goes: 'Every ticket helps support the Auckland and Northland Rescue Helicopters.' No percentage published.
RX-7 lottery: 4,000 tickets. Several themed lotteries a year (classic car, festive, extreme, JDM).
northernrescue.org.nz · autofile.co.nz · rescuehelicopter.org.nz
Cure Kids Lottery (first, 2025)
VW ID. Buzz (MRP $135,190), $10,000 Briscoes voucher, $5,000 Rebel Sport voucher, $10,000 Prezzy early-bird. Tickets $45, or 3 for $100. Class 3 (number not on launch page).
Cure Kids. Where the money goes: 'Every ticket purchased helps us fund big research for little lives.' No percentage published.
10,000 tickets; drawn 19 Dec 2025.
SPCA Lottery No. 2
Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-POWER ($64,990 RRP), Thailand tour ($14,800), $5,000 Harvey Norman card, $5,000 early-bird Visa. Tickets $25. Class 3 (licence 'TBA' on page).
SPCA NZ. Where the money goes: 'to raise funds toward sustaining and enhancing SPCA's core mission...' No percentage published.
15,000 tickets; results 27 Nov 2026.
Samuel Marsden Collegiate art show car raffle (school example)
MG3 Core, about $21,500, plus extras. Tickets $50, or 3 for $120. Class 3, LT090001039.
Samuel Marsden Collegiate Trust Board, Wellington. Where the money goes: 'Net proceeds' support educational and charitable purposes at the school (cafeteria refresh).
2,000 tickets. Shows a school car raffle needs Class 3 once prizes exceed $5,000.
Lotto NZ (Lotto, Powerball, Instant Kiwi etc.)
Jackpots; largest single-ticket win $44.67m (Aug 2024). Tickets varies. Separate statutory class (NZ Lotteries Commission), outside Classes 1-4.
Lotto New Zealand (NZ Lotteries Commission), a Crown entity. Where the money goes: Per $1 of sales: 53% prizes, 25% to NZ Lottery Grants Board, 12% taxes, 6% operating, 4% retailer commission. FY24: $434m to the Lottery Grants Board on $1.711bn sales.
FY25 reportedly $395m to the Lottery Grants Board (search snippet, not fully read).
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide