Holiday parks boost breast cancer research

Holiday parks boost breast cancer research

Holiday parks aren’t only great at hosting great Kiwi family holidays, they’re also dedicated to fundraising for research into a disease that affects many New Zealand women.

The Holiday Accommodation Parks Association of New Zealand’s (HAPNZ) 300 members have raised more than $324,000 for breast cancer research in the last five years.

HAPNZ adopted Breast Cancer Cure (previously Breast Cancer Research Trust) as its charity in 2010.

“We chose Breast Cancer Cure as our charity as families make up a large proportion of our guests and breast cancer affects many families,” HAPNZ Chief Executive Fergus Brown says.

“Our member parks have really got behind the cause and come up with a vast array of ways to raise funds, from rides on Urenui Beach Camp’s award-winning ‘train’, to Greymouth’s Mighty Mud Challenge organised by the Greymouth Seaside TOP 10 Holiday Park. Our parks have also staged sausage sizzles, treasure hunts, auctions and children’s programmes.”

Amounts raised last year ranged from several hundred dollars up to an outstanding $14,132 raised by Orewa Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park (a list of the top 10 fundraisers follows).

“Every dollar helps us get closer to finding a cure,” Mr Brown says.

The fundraising for the 2015/2016 year got off to a great start with more than $11,000 raised at an auction on the last night of the recent Holiday Parks Conference featuring guest auctioneer and Breast Cancer Cure Ambassador Shane Cortese.

“HAPNZ is committed to maintaining our association with Breast Cancer Cure until their 2018 goal.”

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