Patriotic Cadbury Jaffa Race a success with $49,560 raised for charity

Jaffas sported a new black and white look today as they raced down the world’s steepest street – Baldwin Street – to mark the end of the 12th annual Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival and to raise funds for Parents Centres New Zealand and Cure Kids.

This year, the Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival paid tribute to the New Zealand Olympic team. 25,000 specially made black and white Jaffas, along with the traditional iconic orange candy-coated confectionery, raced down the steepest street at this celebrated Dunedin event.

“With the London Olympic Games just around the corner, Cadbury is eager to show support for our NZ Olympic team any way we can. As well as being a proud sponsor of the team this year, we’ve taken the opportunity to put a patriotic twist on the most anticipated event of the Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival,” says Cadbury New Zealand Managing Director, Alastair De Raadt.

“All Kiwis identify with the colours black and white – why shouldn’t our Jaffas follow suit?”

The Cadbury Jaffa Race is one of New Zealand’s most famous events and was held today on black Friday. The amazing spectacle saw two races of 25,000 Jaffas hurtling down the steepest street in the world and attracted approximately 14,000 sightseers. The winning Jaffa, a black version, crossed the finish line in 28 seconds.

“To top it all off, the Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival also raised much-needed funds for the community,” says Alastair. “Cadbury is very proud that, as well as attracting tourism and delivering benefits to the local economy, the Carnival has raised over $550,000 since inception for both local and national charitable causes.”

Parents Centres NZ and Cure Kids were the organisers and the beneficiaries of this year’s race and raised money from the sales of Jaffa tickets before each race.

This year’s Carnival extended the sporting theme to include a Chocolate Hall of Fame that celebrated our 65 New Zealand Olympic gold medallists with 31 chocolate portraits created by renowned UK chocolate artist Prudence Staite.

“The Cadbury Jaffa Race completed a week of chocolate celebration in Dunedin – the home of Cadbury in New Zealand,” Alastair de Raadt said. “With some 50 events that have run during the week, we hope there was something that excited all Kiwi chocolate lovers.”

Ends

The winning Jaffas:

RACE 1 (red Jaffas – Cure Kids):
1. 13802, sold at Wellington Mercure Hotel
2. 13739, sold at Wellington Mercure Hotel
3. 8699, sold at Wellington Mercure Hotel
4. 6504, sold at Auckland Mercure Hotel
5. 5881, sold at Auckland Mercure Hotel

(Cure Kids sold their tickets through Mercure Hotels)

RACE 2 (black and white Jaffas – Parents Centres NZ):
1. 14795, sold in Whakatane
2. 16881, sold in Greymouth
3. 41, sold in Ashburton
4. 418, sold in Ashburton
5. 1416, sold in Cambridge

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