A four-bedroom home that will be sold for charity is under construction in Halswell, Christchurch. Photo / George Heard
A four-bedroom home that will be sold for charity is under construction in Halswell, Christchurch. Photo / George Heard
A four-bedroom home will be built in Halswell then auctioned, with profits donated to Hato Hone St John.
What began as a celebration of surviving the recession has become a fundraiser for Hato Hone St John.
Ivan Presquito of Elegant Kiwi Homes is leading the project, involving around 30 companies.
What started as a one-business celebration of surviving the recession has resulted in a multi-company fundraiser for Hato Hone St John.
Ivan Presquito of Elegant Kiwi Homes in Christchurch said the economic downturn had him concerned for the building industry as well as his own business.
Coming out the other side after three difficult years was worth recognising, he said.
“We feel like, ‘hey, we managed to survive!’ So, we feel like it’s about time for us to give back to the community,” Presquito said.
His plan was to build and sell a house before donating the profits to charity. He just didn’t know which charity would be the beneficiary.
“We decided on St John because everybody can relate with St John,” he said.
It was a popular decision and Elegant Kiwi Homes soon had offers of support.
Many people have pitched in on the build. Photo / George Heard
“When we spoke to our team, the employees and subcontractors wanted to be involved because they have their own little stories of how St John has affected their lives.”
The charity project is two months old and involves a large, motivated team.
“From suppliers, painter, builder, plumber, everyone. Because St John has affected their lives. When we started there were around 25 who said yes straight away – now there are around 30 different companies.”
Among them is the real estate company Harcourts Grenadier.
“Harcourts said, ‘we will market this for you free of charge’,” Presquito said.
Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Hato Hone St John. Photo / George Heard
The plan is for the four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 156sq m home to be auctioned once finished.
“We’re expecting the house to be completed around June, July,” Presquito said.
The property sits on 451sq m in the Benrogan subdivision in Halswell and features a cathedral ceiling in the lounge to “make it stand out”.
“Benrogan subdivision in Halswell is one of the hottest places for property [in Christchurch],” Presquito said.
The fundraiser is greatly appreciated by Hato Hone St John.
“Hato Hone St John truly appreciates the support of Elegant Kiwi Homes,” St John said.
“As current government funding does not meet all Hato Hone St John’s operational and capital costs, fundraising plays a critical role in managing that gap,” it added.
The emergency service receives about 86% of its funding from contracts with Health NZ and ACC. 100% of that goes to just the emergency ambulance services.
“We rely on the generosity of companies such as Elegant Kiwi Homes and its suppliers to help raise funds that go towards ambulance emergency services, resources and our community initiatives,” St John said.
