The Women’s Refuge Safe-Night-a-thon Begins Now!

Gift a Safe Night to be in to win an extraordinary ‘money-can’t-buy experience’

Want to climb a tree with superstar actress Thomasin McKenzie? Listen as indie-pop sensation Benee sings you Happy Birthday? Relax while sporting glamour couple Beauden and Hannah Barrett drop your kids at school?

Or, maybe you want to design a Barbie outfit with fashion legend Karen Walker? Enjoy a private concert with the NZSO? Have Seven Sharp’s Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells clean your house? Search for the paranormal with officers Minogue and O’Leary?

But there’s more!

Perhaps you’re keen to create your own Whittaker’s chocolate? Or share a bite at the Beehive with Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson? Have your absolutely fabulous voicemail recorded by Joanna Lumley?

Did we mention playing mini-golf with Dr Ashley Bloomfield?

Kiwis can win one of these extraordinary money-can’t-buy experiences as part of the Women’s Refuge ‘Safe-Night-a-thon’, which kicks off today, Friday, 6 August, and runs until 15 August.

The Safe-Night-a-thon aims to raise 10,000 Safe Nights over 10 days in a massive drive to keep thousands of women across

Aotearoa New Zealand safe from family violence. Gifting a Safe Night costs just $20, with a few clicks at the Safe-Night-a-thon page: safenightathon.co.nz. Everyone who donates a Safe Night ensures someone in need has access to a safe bed, hot meals, security, childcare, and advice.
 

Notes:

New Zealand’s family violence statistics

• Every night more than 200 women and children are too afraid to stay at home.
• Referrals to Women’s Refuge more than doubled from 24,000 to just under 60,000 between 2016 and 2020.
• NZ Police conducted 133,022 family harm investigations in 2018, up from 95,101 in 2013.
• Police are called to a family violence incident every 3 minutes, even though according to some estimates ¾ of family violence incidents are not even reported.

Miranda Harcourt, face of the Safe Night initiative, said the campaign had proved hugely successful since its launch 18 months ago. The Safe-Night-a-thon is designed to supercharge its successes, and take care of even more women and children across the country.

Miranda Harcourt

“It’s so easy to gift someone a Safe Night, someone who you may never meet, but whom you will help at a time they need

it most,” Miranda said. “We’ve been blown away by support for the campaign so far and can’t wait to see how much we can raise during the Safe-Night-a-thon.”

Dr Ang Jury, Chief Executive of Women’s Refuge, said Kiwis’ generosity had made a huge difference to the lives of thousands.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the developed world, and the pressures of COVID had increased the risks to women and children.

Ang said: “The way this campaign has been supported by Kiwis across Aotearoa New Zealand has been an amazing demonstration of the way our community can come together to support the vulnerable women and children we work with.

“Across the country, each and every night, scores of women and children go off to sleep in one of our refuges – close

to 50,000 bed nights over the past year. This support from generous Kiwis allows us to keep them safe, warm and protected from further harm.”

https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/2108/SafeNightathon_Experiences_.pdf
 

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