World’s Biggest Egg Hunt Hatches in New Zealand

MEDIA RELEASE
STRICTLY EMBARGOED until
5am, 21 March 2014

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING….
The World’s Biggest Egg Hunt Hatches in New Zealand

While Kiwis were sleeping, 100 giant eggs created by New Zealand artists were hidden across the country in the early hours of this morning*, ready to be discovered as part of The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt in support of Starship.

Thanks to the handiwork of more than 70 volunteers, the works of art secretly popped up in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch overnight, allowing the public to take part in the hunt from today until 22 April.

Artists who have created eggs include Dick Frizzell, John Pule, Max Gimblett, Gregory O'Brien, Karl Maughan, David Trubridge, Nigel Brown, Seraphine Pick, John Reynolds, Michel Tuffery, Misery (aka Tanja Jade), Virginia King, Beck Wheeler, Hannah Jensen, Dame Trelise Cooper, Colin Mathura-Jeffree and Pebbles Hooper.

The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt (www.thebigegghunt.co.nz) not only offers great family entertainment hunting for the eggs, but also the opportunity to compete for the ultimate prize – a unique 340g 18ct Whittaker’s Gold Slab made by Partridge Jewellers.

There are several ways to enter to win: hunters need to either text in a unique code once they’ve found an egg in its location; download Whittaker’s new high spec mobile app (details at www.whittakersegghunt.co.nz) or buy Whittaker’s Fairtrade Creamy Milk Block, 50g Peanut Slabs or Easter-themed Creamy Milk Mini Slabs and enter via the details on the pack.

Whittaker’s is also committed to donating at least $150,000 to Starship by donating 10 cents from every iconic 50g Peanut Slab, 20 cents from every pack of its top selling Fairtrade Creamy Milk block and 20 cents from its Creamy Milk Easter Mini Slabs sold throughout the hunt.

The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt is the first campaign of its kind in the southern hemisphere. It will raise funds for the Starship Foundation, a charity supporting the national children’s hospital to provide world-leading care for almost 120,000 patient visits each year.

All 100 eggs, each a unique masterpiece, will be auctioned off for Starship – 80 of them on Trade Me at trade.me/bigegghuntnz, and 20 of them at a gala event in April.

Starship Foundation Chief Executive Brad Clark says, “We are a national hospital caring for children from right across the country, so we are pleased all New Zealanders can take part in The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt – whether they get out and about hunting the eggs or bid to own these stunning works of art or buy Whittaker’s specially-labelled products to help raise vital funds for Starship. The creativity that has gone into these eggs is extraordinary –from realism to abstract, to dinosaurs hatching, stainless steel sculpture, a bunny bi-plane and so much more. We are enormously grateful to the artists, sponsors, supporters and volunteers of The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt for their support of Starship.”

Holly Whittaker, Marketing Manager at Whittaker’s, says, “Whittaker’s is a family-owned company that is proud to support worthy causes such as Starship that make such a difference to New Zealanders’ lives.”

The Big Egg Hunt concept first came about in London in 2012. Since then the campaign has grown to include Dublin, and this year New York and New Zealand.

Information about The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt, including maps for Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, can be found at www.thebigegghunt.co.nz and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BigEggHuntNZ

ENDS
*Editor’s Note: Footnote refers to early hours of 21 March

Key Dates:
• Midnight – dawn 21 March: 100 giant eggs secretly hidden in locations in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
• 21 March – 22 April: The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt – New Zealand public out and about searching for 100 giant eggs created by Kiwi artists and designers.
• 21 March – 22 April: 80 of the eggs auctioned on Trade Me for Starship (bidding via thebigegghunt.co.nz or trade.me/bigegghuntnz)
• 16 April: Gala dinner and auction of 20 eggs in support of Starship (www.starship.org.nz/eggevent)

Supporters of The Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt:
In addition to the very generous artists who have all provided their time and talent to decorate the eggs, many organisations are supporting the campaign in various ways.

These include:
• Principal campaign sponsor, Whittaker’s
• Logistics partner, Mainfreight
• Auction partners Trade Me and Webb’s

Campaign Sponsors:

• Auckland Art Gallery
• Auckland Museum
• Autex
• Barfoot & Thompson
• Below The Line
• Britomart Group
• Café Melba
• ColourWorx
• DFS
• DLA Phillips Fox
• ECC Lighting and Furniture
• Firth
• Flux
• Heart of the City

• Hippopotamus Restaurant & Bar
• iHeartRADIO
• Laura Forlong
• Louis Vuitton
• McKechnie
• Norcross Printing Group
• NZ Bus
• Ostro
• Republik
• Resene
• SKY
• The Edge
• The Moving Company
• The Tannery

Numbers from The Big Egg Hunt London 2012:
• 1 million hunters at street level
• £1.5 million raised for two charities
• Over 100,000 visitors per day to the final display
• Two Guinness World Record titles set

About the Starship Foundation:
• Starship is New Zealand’s national children’s hospital. There are nearly 120,000 patient visits to Starship Children’s Health every year by children from all over New Zealand.
• The Starship Foundation is a charity that raises funds so Starship Children’s Health can better care for its young patients. The Starship Foundation wants every New Zealand family to have access to world-leading healthcare and experiences when they need it most.
• The Starship Foundation raises up to $10 million a year. Donations are extra to Government funding and provide for initiatives such as Starship’s National Air Ambulance Service which brings children from all over New Zealand to Starship for life-saving care, as well as refurbishing older wards, new technology and medical equipment, vital research, boosted family support, staff training and community outreach projects to keep children out of hospital.

About Whittaker’s:
• Established in New Zealand over 100 years ago, Whittaker’s is the only major chocolate manufacturer in New Zealand that ensures quality by controlling the whole manufacturing process – from bean to bar.
• With 100% of its operations in New Zealand, Whittaker’s is proud to be an exporter of quality New Zealand produce, as well as one of the largest employers in the Wellington region.
• For the past two years in a row, Whittaker’s has been voted New Zealand’s Most Trusted Brand.

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