Lawnmower explodes in Kiwi's face

Nikki Delaney. Photo / Supplied

Donations for a New Zealand woman injured in a lawnmower explosion in Rarotonga have reached $20,000.

Nikki Delaney, 31, suffered serious burns to her upper body in the explosion, and is in an induced coma on life support.

Ms Delaney, a former Wellington woman, has been airlifted in an induced coma from the Cook Islands to Middlemore Hospital on Saturday, Fairfax reported.

Brother Jordan Delaney said on a Givealittle page established to fund the medical flight that Ms Delaney needed to get to Middlemore Hospital for specialist treatment of her burns as quickly as possible.

Fairfax reported that a family friend had loaned them the money for the emergency medical flight, but the family needed to pay the friend back.

Ms Delaney has worked with disabled children in Wellington at Kimi Ora School and in the Cook Islands.

"Nikki deserves proper treatment so she can make a full recovery so she can continue sharing all her knowledge and helping our next generation of children grow and shine past their challenges they need to overcome," Jordan wrote on the Givealittle page.

"This will be the same for Nikki - she will have to overcome a lot to come back from this injury but with all of our family and her friends we will see Nikki overcome this."

The Givealittle page has raised more than $20,000 this evening.