The spirit of Christmas comes in more forms than a jolly old chap with a big white beard.
It's a long way from Matakana to Flaxmere, but New World owner and operator Tim Wilson has embraced the change he made 17 months ago.
Unlike Matakana, Flaxmere has high levels of
deprivation and it wasn't long before this 31-year-old saw a way to provide much more than just the basics.
"Early January last year, I was talking to the kids about what Christmas was like for them and how they celebrated – what things they did – and it just seemed there was a massive void from what I knew Christmas to be – a special time of year with family, gifts and food," he said.
Wilson set himself a mission, to provide 12 families with a helping hand for the last 12 days of Christmas, but his commitment to the cause has stretched to 15.
