Help asked for community-minded Jade

LITTLE HELP: Masterton photographer Jade Cvetkov inspired a Givealittle fundraising page after losing money to an online scammer.

A Masterton photography tutor is appealing to the community to "put their money where their mouth is" to help restore a fellow artist's faith in humanity.

Secondary school art teacher Jann Lenihan has started a Givealittle page on behalf of Masterton-based photographer Jade Cvetkov, who lost over $3000 in an alleged online scam.

Jade, who has photographed a number of Wairarapa's top-performing sports teams, bought a professional-grade camera lens from an Auckland-based online store back in April.

But, the lens never arrived -- and the company folded shortly afterwards.

Ms Lenihan, who has known Jade most of her life, said the incident has left her badly shaken.

Following an outpouring of support for Jade on social media, Ms Lenihan decided to fundraise to get her a replacement lens.

"Jade is so community-minded -- people will call her, and she'll take their photos for nothing," Ms Lenihan said.

"All these people were writing on her Facebook wall saying 'oh, Jade, how terrible'.

"I thought if everyone could put a little bit of money together, then we could get her a new lens.

"Hopefully, this will encourage people to put their money where their mouth is."

A mostly self-taught photographer, Jade can often be found on the sidelines of the sports field, capturing everything from Wairarapa United and second division games, to club hockey tournaments, to college netball matches.

"Jade spends the bulk of her weekends taking photos," Ms Lenihan said.

"If she doesn't get paid, she looks at it as a way of promoting Wairarapa sport."

When Jade's beloved stepmother died in March, she decided to use some of her inheritance to buy a Nikon 80-400mm lens to improve her photography.

After much investigation, Jade bought the lens through a New Zealand owned and registered company, which had good reviews online.

Alarm bells rang when she hadn't received the lens after a couple of weeks, but the seller assured her it was "on its way".

After a month -- past the point when Jade's bank could refund her money -- the man stopped replying to her messages.

Jade later found out his company had gone bankrupt, and he has since set up a new online business, operating out of Hong Kong.

"Jade went to the bank, the police and Fair Go, but no-one would help," Ms Lenihan said.

"She couldn't believe someone could rip her off like this."

Since she started the Givealittle page, it has -- as of last Friday -- generated $500 from nine donors -- and the sports teams Jade has photographed are challenging each other to donate.

As well as fundraising for a new lens, Ms Lenihan hoped the community's generosity would help Jade "feel better about the world" after her traumatic experience.

"The whole thing really knocked her, but knowing people care has bucked her spirits a lot.

"We're keeping the page open until Christmas day -- the lens will make a perfect present."