The Bay of Plenty Times is about to launch its second annual Big Charity Auction.
This year's auction, kicking off on Monday, will raise thousands of dollars for the TrustPower TECT Rescue Helicopter - and readers will win luxury prizes worth $35,000.
Starting on Monday, the weekday editions of the Bay of Plenty Times will contain "Big Charity Auction dollars". The dollar amount will vary day to day.
Readers can collect as many "dollars" as possible and bring them to the Big Charity Auction on Friday, June 29.
The auction could see readers going home with one or more of seven prizes, including an 18 carat white diamond ring, a Suzuki scooter and a trip fora family to Rarotonga.
Each prize will be won by the highest bidder of Big Charity Auction dollars.
Bay of Plenty Times marketing manager Samantha Dowling said the auction was a fantastic way for readers to win great prizes and support a worthwhile cause.
The proceeds from extra newspaper sales during the promotion would go to the rescue helicopter.
"This is an opportunity for the Bay to come together as a community and support an organisation whose services we could all find ourselves needing," she said.
TrustPower TECT Rescue Helicopter pilot Liam Brettkelly said the organisation was thrilled to have been chosen as the beneficiary.
"We simply can't do without such sponsorship and we are always hugely grateful when organisations such as the Bay of Plenty Times recognise that what we do is for the benefit of everyone."
The Tauranga TrustPower TECT Rescue Helicopter was established in June 2000 and since then the crew had flown more than 1000 missions.
The helicopter has an annual operational budget of more than $1.2 million, with approximately half funded from community, Friends of the Rescue Helicopter and corporate channels. The remainder came from the District Health Board system, ACC and the police. Each TrustPower TECT rescue mission varied in length and cost from $2500 to $4000.
Last year's inaugural auction, in which proceeds went to the Child Cancer Foundation (CCF), was a huge success.
Otumoetai resident Greg Prince won the sought-after diamond ring from Molyneux Jewellers and guessed he spent more than 20 hours cutting out the auction dollars published in the Bay of Plenty Times.
The Tauranga City Sunrise Lions Club sold a car to buy as many papers as they could to collect 39 million auction dollars.
They won the boat so they could raffle it and donate the money from ticket sales to the Cancer Society's Lions Lodge in Hamilton.
Adrian Fensom won the Smiths City appliance package, Brookfield resident Thea Straub won the Four Seasons outdoor package and the Travelcom family holiday to Fiji went to Ivan and Ann-Maree Bevins.
This year's Big Bay Charity Auction would be run by a registered auctioneer and would take place at Mount Maunganui's Classic Flyers at 5.15pm on Friday, June 29.
All bidders in the auction must register by filling out a form printed in the Bay of Plenty Times, visiting the Bay of Plenty Times' office, or by 5.45pm on the night of the auction.
Big Bay Auction dollars would be printed from May 28 to June 29, Monday to Friday, on page 2.
Visit bayofplentytimes.co.nz/competitions/bigcharityauction for registration details and full terms and conditions.
