Northland girl's fundraiser wins guru's attention and US$10,000 for charity

Kerikeri 10-year-old Anika Beren with the family's rescue dog Bella and her "Shining World Compassion Award" from a Vietnamese-born guru who read about her fundraising efforts in the Cook Islands News. Photo / Peter de Graaf

What do a 10-year-old Kerikeri girl and a Vietnamese spiritual guru with a worldwide chain of vegan restaurants have in common?

The answer, it seems, is a love of animals.

That shared love has paid off handsomely for a cash-strapped Northland animal charity which has received, thanks to 10-year-old Anika Beren of Kerikeri, a whopping US$10,000 ($13,600) donation.

Regular readers of the Advocate may recall how during lockdown Anika started growing native trees from seed for Springbank School's market day.

Her plan was to sell the seedlings for $10 and donate the proceeds to Bay of Islands Animal Rescue, a volunteer group which rehomes hundreds of mistreated, abandoned and unwanted pets each year.

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Market day was twice postponed due to Covid-19 but Anika carried on undeterred. Her scheme morphed into a business she called Amuri Gardens, after her grandfather's home village in the Cook Islands.

In September she donated the profits from her initial sales, $1570, to the Kawakawa-based animal rescue group.

Anika Beren's original aim was to sell 100 native seedlings and give the proceeds to Bay of Islands Animal Rescue. Photo / Peter de Graaf

The Advocate published a story about Anika's fundraising efforts which was followed up by the Cook Islands News — which then somehow caught the attention of Vietnamese-born Ching Hai, the founder and ''Supreme Master'' of a spiritual movement with a reported two million followers.

Hai is now based in Taiwan from where she runs a fashion company, a global vegan restaurant chain and a television channel broadcasting feel-good news stories 24 hours a day.

She also hands out regular awards to people doing good deeds, especially if they involve helping animals.

Anika's mum, Mignon Zwart, said Hai's New Zealand representative contacted Springbank School asking to be put in touch with the family.

A series of emails followed in which Hai's staff explained they wanted to give US$10,000 to Anika's chosen charity.

''I thought it couldn't be serious. I wondered if it was legit,'' she said.

However, the prize money, which converted to $13,600, promptly turned up as promised, followed by a parcel packed with books, a framed certificate and a glass trophy inscribed with ''Shining World Compassion Award'' and Anika's name.

A letter explained that Supreme Master Ching Hai had been touched by the story about Anika's fundraising efforts and wanted to make a ''loving contribution ... to support her noble cause''.

Anika was, to put it mildly, surprised by the award.

''I didn't know what to think. I feel a bit overwhelmed, and proud.''

Her original aim had been to sell 100 trees and raise $1000 but, including the award, Bay of Islands Animal Rescue is now more than $15,000 better off.

Anika said it would be nice to have the prize money but the volunteer group needed it more than she did.

Bay of Islands Animal Rescue founder Summer Johnson. Photo / Jenny Ling

Summer Johnson, founder of Bay of Islands Animal Rescue, could not be contacted yesterday but Zwart said news of the donation had left her speechless.

Grandfather Arthur Beren, who showed Anika how to gather seeds and raise seedlings, said he was ''unquestionably proud''.

He was also grateful to Northland people and businesses who had supported Anika's fundraiser by donating pots, seeds and potting mix.

■ You can watch the news of Anika's award on Hai's Supreme Master Television here (jump ahead to 20.54):