Spearfishing New Zealand national championships director Mal Bird, left, and Paraparaumu Fire Brigade chief fire officer Martin Sutherland. Photo / Grace Odlum
Spearfishing New Zealand national championships director Mal Bird, left, and Paraparaumu Fire Brigade chief fire officer Martin Sutherland. Photo / Grace Odlum
It’s not only fish that will be auctioned off in Paraparaumu but a huge number of prizes, too.
Fish caught from the Spearfishing NZ national championships will be auctioned at Kāpiti Landing, off Kāpiti Rd, on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 24-25, at 4pm each day.
But there’s about $20,000 worth of prizes that also will go under the hammer.
Event director Mal Bird said some of the prizes to be auctioned included fridges, curtains, barbecues, electrical tools, weedeaters, paint, and even a mop.
“You name it, I’ve got it. There will be a bit of amusement for the public.”
All proceeds from the auctions, in which the public can participate from the comfort of two purpose-built grandstands, will be going to Mary Potter Hospice and Paraparaumu Fire Brigade.
Bird has been busy getting about 100 businesses on board with donations and offers of help for the auction, which has a We Care theme.
He’s already given $35,000 to the hospice as well as $10,000 to the brigade.
Divers in various categories will be spearfishing from various beaches around the Wellington region.
Fish caught will be transported to the auction site in refrigerated trucks.
Auction winners can have their fish filleted at a processing station operated by The Kai Ika Project team.
Mal Bird on the area at Kāpiti Landing where two fish auctions will be held. Photo / David Haxton
Mary Potter Hospice will have a stall selling strawberries and ice cream.
A few days before the main weekend of spearfishing and auctions, fish caught from the junior/womenU23/senior categories will go to the Kāpiti Community Foodbank.
Paraparaumu Fire Brigade chief fire officer Martin Sutherland said the brigade was grateful to receive the funding, which was directed to buying two battery-powered portable lights, two communication radios and two leaf blowers.
“The lighting will enable us to light up more areas quicker ... and when it comes to things like storm damage and motor vehicle accidents, instead of getting the hose out to wash down, it can be a lot quicker with these new leaf blowers.”
Sutherland noted that historically fires used to be the main callouts for brigades around the country but that had changed over the years and was reflected when the NZ Fire Service was rebranded Fire and Emergency NZ.
“The frequency of fires has come down and other types of emergencies are going up.”
He highlighted the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods a year ago.
