NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sponsored Stories

Partnership with ASB

ASB

A boy who can't walk has hope

6 Jul, 2019 12:00 PM
L to R  - Hilary Barry & Derek Craig. Photo / Supplied

L to R - Hilary Barry & Derek Craig. Photo / Supplied

Partnership with ASB

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Builder raises $100,000 in amazing act of generosity to give him a chance to learn how.

He may only be four, but like many young New Zealand boys Harry Finch can't wait to play sport when he gets older.

His chances of doing so though are uncertain. A cerebral palsy sufferer since he and his identical twin brother Ollie were born prematurely at 29 weeks, Harry has never developed enough muscle strength in his legs to walk.

Yet surgery in the United States last month - together with the generosity of a Cromwell builder Derek Craig - means the odds of him doing so have risen significantly.

The operation, at the St Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri, has led to an improvement in Harry's mobility while money raised by Craig through a special building project means the Dunedin-based Finch family will be able to afford the ongoing treatment Harry needs in his quest to one day walk.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Craig has donated $100,000 to the family, the proceeds from the sale of two container homes he spent months building in his spare time and the family intend using it to help pay the costs of post-operative therapy Harry is required to undergo for at least the next seven years.

Craig has been recognised for his efforts by being named an ASB Good as Gold recipient, the bank giving him $10,000 to take his partner and three children on a holiday.

Harry's dad, Hayden Finch, describes Craig's donation as amazing and overwhelming: "It has helped give Harry a huge opportunity in life to walk.

Watch here:

"Harry talks about playing sports like rugby and golf although I think really he just wants to be able to run around with Ollie," says Finch. "But without the surgery and the money from the container houses I fear he would have been destined never to walk, I'm not sure what we would have done."

Harry was born with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy meaning the muscles in his legs are always contracted and make it impossible for him to learn to walk.

The surgery in St Louis, paid for by a separate community fund-raising campaign, released the muscle tension in his legs, opened up his spine and fused the nerve endings - a procedure that has given him a chance to one day take his first steps.

"He is back to having baby muscles," says Finch. "They are like those of a one-day-old baby. He's really determined to get there and is moving around better with his crawling, but it is going to be a long, slow process."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Harry is now facing ongoing treatment and rehab, including physiotherapy four days a week for the next seven years. It was this cost his Dad - and Mum Bex - worried about how they were going to pay. That is until Craig, an old acquaintance of Hayden's, came into the picture.

The two men lived in the same district as boys and although they hadn't seen much of each other in recent years, when Craig heard about Harry's plight he knew he had to act.

"I saw someone who needed help and I couldn't turn a blind eye," says Craig. "I knew we could make it work even though it was going to require a big commitment of time and effort. But when we handed the cheque over all the hard work sort of disappeared."

Craig, who is a partner in the Cromwell-based Hunter and Craig Building and Design, rallied his community and other tradies to build the container houses.

"Originally we were aiming for $70,000 but we got to $100,000 after we received a Placemakers grant," he says. "We were pretty stoked at the result."

Craig was nominated for the ASB award by Ian Gare of Alexandra. They have known each other for about eight years through their business dealings and Gare says Craig is a "very down-to-earth and humble man who never expects anything in return. He's absolutely selfless and doesn't do any of this for the kudos."

The Finch project is not the only one Craig has worked on: Six years ago, together with a team of volunteers, he undertook "Operation Owen" to construct a purpose-built home for Jodie and Terry Owen whose two daughters (aged eight and four at the time) had cerebellar ataxia, a condition affecting their co-ordination and balance.

"We do quite a bit of this," he says. "Most of it is in my spare time although I'm lucky I've got the business to a point where I can take a few hours here and there. It does come back to us, so I suppose you could say it is an investment."

"Derek is an incredibly driven and generous man, with a passion for offering practical help where he sees a need," says ASB South Island regional manager Martin Gay. "We're delighted to give him an ASB Good as Gold award so he can take some well-deserved time out with his family."

Craig has decided on a holiday in Fiji for his partner Hana and children Billie-Rose (12), Charlie (8) and Daisy (6) where they will spend 10 days in September.

"It's big ups to my kids too," he says. "They give up time with me while I'm on these projects and hopefully I can teach them something so some of it will rub off on them. They do see the results, I guess that's a lesson for them."

Save

    Share this article

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sponsored Stories

Sponsored Stories

From Barrier beekeeper to global wellness pioneer: Alan Bougen’s 50-year journey with Comvita

04 Jul 02:19 AM
Sponsored Stories

Solar bat monitors cut carbon emissions and uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Sponsored Stories

How to win Sorrento shutters giveaway

01 Jul 10:38 PM
Sponsored Stories

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

01 Jul 04:58 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP