Firefighters rise to Sky Tower challenge

Getting their local community behind their fundraising efforts has seen Kerikeri firefighters raise more than $30,000 by running up 1103 stairs at Auckland's Sky Tower wearing 25kg of gear.

Firefighters from over 234 brigades across the country took part in the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge on Saturday which raised money for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.

This year's event set a fundraising record, bringing in $1,161,000, including more than $91,000 from the 13 Northland brigades that took part.

The Kerikeri brigade raised a whopping $30,558.80 - a third of the Northland total - and Kerikeri Station Officer and team member Ben Scott said the challenge was now out to other Northland brigades to top that amount next year.

Last month the firefighters clocked up 67km in a fundraising walkathon - while wearing their gear - and all without leaving the town's one-way system as part of the fundraising effort.

"The money we raised was in recognition of the effort we put in. We said at the beginning that we had to set a target, which was $20,000, and went all out to get it," Mr Scott said.

Of the other Northland teams that took part Dargaville raised $2973, Kaikohe $10,861, Kaiwaka $1775.90, Kamo $6300, Kawakawa $3939.40, Mangawhai $1437.40, Marsden Pt Oil Refinery $4635.80, Onerahi $11,510.80, Paihia $2584.60, Waipu $10,198.70, Wellsford $3633.90 and Whangarei/Kaipara $1284.60.

The top individual fundraiser within a team was highly contested and went to another Northlander, Tony Scott, who lives in Kaikohe but works at Auckland Airport Fire Rescue and raised $17,374.75.