Auckland floods: Crypto charity donates $260k to Dave Letele’s relief project

Ben Rose, Binance NZ and Dave Letele.

Community advocate Dave Letele is going shopping, thanks to a crypto donation of $260,000.

The extraordinary donation has come from Binance New Zealand, through its US Binance Charity arm. The crypto donation of US$162,000 will support Letele’s Buttabean Motivation (BBM) charity with its flood relief plans.

Letele, 2022 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year and BBM Founder said it is the largest single donation the charity has ever received, and the first to be made in cryptocurrency.

“We are incredibly grateful to Binance New Zealand and Binance Charity for their generosity. This donation is going to make a huge difference to whānau impacted by the floods,” Letele said.

“Right now we are focused on the clean-up but we’re also looking forward to how we can help whānau to restore their homes in the coming weeks and months and this single donation will go a long way to providing whānau in need with appliances and furniture for their homes.”

Binance New Zealand and Pacific Islands General Manager Ben Rose told the Herald a lot of whānau were already struggling and the floods have put many families even deeper into the hole.

He said Binance Charity was always exploring ways to help Kiwis and the hook-up with BBM made good commercial and community sense.

“We’ve seen the amazing mahi that Dave and BBM are doing in the community to support whānau who have lost their homes and belongings in the flooding and this donation will give those efforts a significant boost,” Rose said.

“We are donating the equivalent of $259,356 NZD in BNB [the cryptocurrency], which is $1 NZD for every New Zealand registration on the Binance platform. While the donation will be made in crypto, we’re working with BBM to get that seamlessly converted to New Zealand dollars and into their bank account as quickly as possible so they can get started on the next phase of their flood relief plan.”

Letele has recently secured warehouse space - thanks to rich lister James Kirkpatrick’s property organisation - to store goods and the Binance donation means he can start to make deals for whiteware and other home goods for whānau affected by the floods.

“I want to go out and get as many couches and fridges and washing machines as possible. I want to get out there and make it happen,” Letele said.

“To Ben and Binance and all the team, thank you so much and I hope you understand the impact this is going to have for so many families,” he adds.

Binance Charity is a non-profit organisation dedicated to building a future where Web3 technology is used as a force for good. In 2022 it donated US$15 million to 19 charities worldwide.