Farmers Rotorua raises $288,000 for Hospice through long-standing fundraising campaign

Farmers Rotorua has run bauble and remembrance tree appeals for Rotorua Hospice since 2015, raising more than $288,000 for the organisation.

Farmers Rotorua has made a “huge difference” with their ongoing fundraising efforts for the local hospice.

The store has run bauble and remembrance tree appeals for Rotorua Community Hospice since 2015, raising more than $288,000.

According to Rotorua Community Hospice, the store consistently ranked among the top five fundraising stores nationwide.

Farmers Rotorua store manager John Porteous said the public was “very generous”.

“I’m sure most places around New Zealand are generous, but for whatever reason, Rotorua just seems to step up even a bit more.”

He said the public seemed to relate to the hospice, which generated support.

“We find that amongst our team we’ve had a lot of people who have used Rotorua Hospice, or if they’ve not used it, they know people who have, so it’s quite personal.”

The store ranks fourth nationally in total donations and raised more than $30,000 last year.

For the last four years, they have sold the most baubles of any Farmers and have twice as many to sell compared to other stores.

“We do a lot of fundraising through the years for a lot of good causes, but this one goes to a local charity, so I think that makes a difference,” Porteous said.

He told the Rotorua Daily Post the hospice fundraiser had become tradition for both staff and the community.

“I think that they appreciate the chance of giving back to the hospice.”

Porteous said the hospice did all the hard work, and his store’s fundraising was just the “easy” part.

“That’s pretty much our motivator, is that we really appreciate what Rotorua Hospice does.”

Rotorua Community Hospice fundraising and marketing manager Jessica Meade said the funds raised by Farmers made a “huge difference”.

“These funds help us provide free specialist end-of-life care and support to patients and their whānau, ensuring they receive compassionate care at a time when it matters most.”

Meade said the $30,000 raised last year helped with equipment costs, travel for registered nurses and for their time, experience and care.

“This support ensures Hospice can continue to be there for those who need us most.”

She said year after year, Rotorua residents embraced the campaign “wholeheartedly”, showing generosity and care that reflected the spirit of the season.

“It is remarkable given Rotorua’s smaller population and regional location.”

Farmers and Hospice could not disclose this year’s totals so far, but Meade said they were on track to hit last year’s total of more than $30,000.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.