Kerre Woodham: NZ - the nation that cares

Communities have rallied to help quake-affected Cantabrians. Photo / Mark Mitchell

As the year draws to a close, the charity fundraisers are pretty much over but I want to pay tribute to all those individuals and businesses who've responded so generously to the needs of many diverse causes throughout this year.

Let's face it, these haven't been the easiest of times but I've been blown away by the generosity of Kiwis.

Just to give a small sampling of the acts of kindness I know about, The Warehouse suppliers' dinner raised half a million dollars in a couple of hours for Starship Hospital.

Schools all around the country are holding mufti days and concerts to raise money for the kids who've lost their dads in the Pike River mine disaster.

A thousand people turned out for the Canterbury Quake Relief Fund dinner and, thanks to a generous top-up from Sky City, the million-dollar target was met. Pensioners went without treats so they, too, could do their bit for the Cantabs and all the while Kiwis have continued to support their own favourite charities.

On Thursday night I had the privilege of seeing 24 brilliant, young all-rounders receive First Foundation scholarships that see companies such as Telecom, Fonterra and the Auckland District Health Board's charitable arm offer part-time jobs and mentor support to ensure bright young kids from disadvantaged backgrounds are able to go on to tertiary education.

And Sir Peter Leach was in top form on Friday night, raising $270,000 to buy essential equipment for the team at the Auckland Burns Unit at Middlemore Hospital.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Survey after survey highlights that Kiwis are a generous bunch. We tied with Australia for first place in a recent international survey ranking nations on the willingness of their citizens to donate time and money.

A new report from the London Benchmarking Group, a worldwide organisation for businesses to measure, manage and assess charitable contributions, shows that Kiwi businesses have contributed about twice the benchmarked average of the Australia-New Zealand group. That's bureaucratic speak for "we are good corporate citizens".

We live in Godzone, all right, and it appears that we don't take our good fortune for granted.