Pride of NZ: Airlift inspires teen's fundraising

Rebecca Harris has supported the Westpac Rescue Helicopter for several years.

Rebecca Harris - Fundraiser of the Year

Whitianga teenager Rebecca Harris owes her life to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

She was only 12 when she needed urgent medical attention for a mystery illness, and had to be airlifted to Thames.

Not long after her scary experience, she was made aware of Westpac Rescue Helicopter's financial stress so pledged to personally raise $10,000 a year for the organisation.

Now aged 18, and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, she has managed to fulfil her goal every year for the last four years.

Each year, Miss Harris comes up with a novel way to promote and raise funds for the helicopters.

First, she papier-mached her mother's car into the shape of a Westpac Rescue Helicopter, and entered it as a float in the local Christmas parade.

The float was then auctioned off on Trade Me.

She has hosted dinner and music events for more than 100 guests. This year she raised over $10,000 at the Taste of Matarangi Food and Wine festival.

She has been named a Coromandel ambassador for the organisation and was awarded the New Zealander of the Year Local Hero medal.

Now, Miss Harris has been nominated for a Pride of New Zealand Award, in the Fundraiser of the Year category.

"With Rebecca's help the helicopter is now well established in the community and has a hangar and crew accommodation to enable them to be stationed on the Coromandel for part of the year," her nominator said.

Miss Harris managed to raise these funds while she was still a high school student.

"At times it was quite difficult," she said. "But school was really great about it. They allowed me to do work when I could and as long as I submitted it, they were really supportive." She hopes to encourage students to get involved.

Miss Harris is now studying towards a business degree at Auckland University of Technology, where she was awarded the Woolf Fisher First-in-Family Scholarship.

Evan Corlet

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