Airport's Xmas cheer fund on lookout for good causes

Shawn Bishop won a grant last year. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Auckland Airport is on the lookout for 12 deserving charities to benefit from donations made by the 13 million travellers who passed through its terminals this year.

Registered charities and trusts can apply for one of the $10,000 donations available.

In the past, the "12 days of Christmas" giveaway has sponsored initiatives ranging from a van to transport hospice patients to new horses for disabled children, said Auckland Airport spokesman Richard Llewellyn.

"What we tend to do is focus on charities that don't have as much exposure as others.

"There are a lot of deserving people out there so it's hard to choose."

The money is collected in globe-shaped donation boxes scattered throughout the arrivals and departure lounges that encourage travellers to give away any remaining New Zealand currency before they leave the country.

"What we're after is something tangible," said Mr Llewellyn. "We don't want the money to go into general operation costs."

One of last year's recipients, Shawn Bishop, said the grant allowed for a specialty aviary for the kereru, the New Zealand native wood pigeon, at the animal sanctuary she runs with her husband in Matakana.

They had only just finished building the aviary when an influx of starving kereru were passed on to the sanctuary after a dry summer had left them without their main food source - berries from the nikau, miro and taraire trees.

"We kept marvelling, we couldn't believe how well timed it was," said Mrs Bishop.

Another of last year's grants was given to Duffy Books in Homes, which supplies books to 100,000 children in low-decile primary schools.

The grant was used to supply every child in three Southland primary schools with at least five books to take home, according to Duffy Books in Homes communication manager Phil Horrobin.

"It's all about trying to encourage children to read."

Applications close at 4pm on Friday, November 26.

Visit www.aucklandairport.co.nz/christmascharity to apply.