The countdown is on to collect 50,000 gifts for the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal to help support the 17,000 families who will otherwise go without.
The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is New Zealand's largest and longest running Christmas gift Appeal, and through the generosity of New Zealanders has collected and distributed over 420,000 gifts in the past 22 years.
As of this week the gift tally is sitting at 11,856, leaving a shortfall of 38,144 presents that are required before its stores close their doors on Christmas Eve. Of those, 465 have been collected at Kmart Hastings - 4 per cent of the gifts collected across the 19 stores nationwide so far.
Kmart Hastings store manager Chris Keyte is confident the Kiwi spirit of giving will increase coming into the critical last days of the appeal.
"Sadly many families will go without again this Christmas and we hope those that can make a difference by adding a gift under the Kmart Wishing Tree do just that.