Shaun Johnson and Kayla Cullen donate wedding gifts in aid of bush fires

Shaun Johnson and Kayla Cullen tied the knot in December, 2019. Photo / Instagram

New Zealand sports stars Shaun Johnson and Kayla Cullen have used one of the most important days of their lives to raise money for victims of the Australian bush fires.

The Kiwis rugby league playmaker and Silver Fern tied the knot in December and donated the entirety of guests' wishing well contributions to charity.

The ceremony took place in Byron Bay, a region not directly affected by fires, but where smoke and haze were visible on the day.

"We were getting married so close to it all. At that stage there was fires burning around there – our venue was even covered in a bit of smoke so we were feeling it," Johnson told Fox Sports.

"People were messaging us asking what's the go with wedding gifts, so Kayla and I had a chat and figured we don't need anything but it would be awesome if we could get everyone on board to contribute with what was going on."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kayla Johnson (@kaylamalvinacullen)

Johnson's NRL club, the Cronulla Sharks, are also raising money in aid of the widespread fires, organising an auction of player memorabilia whilst also getting involved in the clean-up of affected communities within the club's catchment area.

"If you ask anyone that's in the position that we're in, giving back is probably the part of our job that's least spoken about but it's the most rewarding for all of us," Johnson said.

"The fact that we're going to get an opportunity to go down to some communities that love their rugby league and love their Sharks is great.

"We're not expecting to change lives – we can't even fathom what they're going through – but if we can just take their mind off it for a split second then it's definitely worth the trip down."