Hidden Blessings leaves $50 notes around Hawke's Bay.
Video / Hidden Blessings NZ
Mystery $50 notes have been appearing in bushes and hidden public spots around Hawke’s Bay.
They’re not lost money, they’re not nefarious earnings - they’re just a hidden pick-me-up being spread around New Zealand by the general manager of a construction company who grew up in the region.
The man behind the idea of Hidden Blessings wants his goodwill to be done anonymously - but we can say he lives in Auckland, where he moved after spending the first few years of his life in Flaxmere.
It was a chance encounter with a beggar beside a KFC that inspired him to start the movement.
Hidden Blessings NZ are hiding $50 notes in public spaces for anyone to find. Photo / Warren Buckland
“I get cups shaken at me a lot, but this guy was asking for food which I was taken aback by, especially when he pointed out his partner and child across the road.
“I just joined some dots, and thought ‘man it would be cool to go and give something in places that need it’.”
So far he’s dedicated more than $1000 of his own money to Hidden Blessings and gained a dedicated social media following from it.
He said the hidden money was often claimed within 10 minutes of a video appearing online, which provided clues of the location.
The note reads - “This hidden treasure is our gift to you if this find brightens your day, enjoy it. If you are not in need we ask you to pay it forward to somebody who does.”
He said the movement had grown so much he had to get help from family in Hawke’s Bay to hide the money.
The construction company general manager has got his family on board to help spread kindness. Photo / Warren Buckland
“We just do all of this in our spare time with the spare money I have got, and since then have had a few family members jump on board - the Hawke’s Bay ones have all been hidden by my mum, stepdad and nephew.”
The man, who travels around a lot for work, said he was extremely grateful to his sister who also works hard to edit the videos that go online.
“One guy private messaged, he had run out of petrol and it allowed him to fill his car up.
“Another lady didn’t have money to buy food for her grandchildren, but she found the $50 and went straight to Pak’nSave and buy some kai for her whānau.”
He said he would continue to hide the money and wanted to make sure no one felt left out. As a tribute to his childhood, he planned to leave a blessing somewhere in Flaxmere soon.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
