Australians to rescue of NZ sweet charity

By BRIDGET CARTER

Lion Mints, the charity fundraiser which appeared on hundreds of New Zealand shop counters, is to be resurrected as an Australian.

The mints, thought to be the country's oldest confectionery fundraisers, were scrapped last December because sales dropped.

Bruce Beveridge, secretary for the Khandallah Lions Club in Wellington, says the New Zealand Lion Mint, found in Kiwi institutions such as banks and post offices since 1981, was developed after numerous tests to accommodate New Zealand tastes.

"The Aussie mint wasn't what we liked."

Lions Club member Gael Ansell of Bethlehem, near Tauranga, said importing the Australian variety was the only hope of keeping the scheme alive.

The 66-year-old plans to get the imports in about two weeks, at a reasonable price from a major supplier of Australian mints.

Yet they won't taste the same as ours and the longstanding price of 40 cents per pack will have to increase.

Cadbury stopped making the trademark sweets around December because they were no longer profitable, said company spokesman John Crawford, who doubts imports would be viable.

If the Lions continued selling the sweets they would face the same issues. "There is a decline in sales. I still doubt they could make a viable business out of it in the very aggressive confectionery market."

Mr Beveridge said the New Zealand mints were no longer in circulation because Lions Club membership had declined and there were fewer places to sell them.

About eight years ago a blanket ban was imposed on sweets on bank counters.

Meanwhile, Mr Ansell said he helped to get Lion Mints up and running, and had maintained his interest in the project.

He is passionate about ensuring the mints remain in circulation because their fundraising dollars help hundreds.

Bob Munn, district governor for Lions clubs from the Harbour Bridge to Te Kauwhata, says the mints are important for the clubs.

"The amount of money they have raised over the years has been phenomenal ... It is millions we have earned [and] money that has been used for the local communities."