Red Nose day raises 1.4m for sick kids

All Blacks, from left, Aaron Smith, Steven Luatua, Ben Smith and Tawera Kerr-Barlow don red noses in support of child cancer sufferers.

This year's Red Nose campaign has raised over $1.4 million to help cure New Zealand's sick kids, with the final figure expected to climb as fundraising efforts are banked.

For the past 23 days, over 650 schools around the country, 100 businesses and hundreds of individuals have been busy baking and selling their goodies to raise money for Red Nose Day.

Friday evening, the fundraising culminated in a 3.5 hour TV3 televised event Comedy for Cure Kids: Good Sports. Over $1.4 million was given by New Zealanders for child health research, with money still being banked by schools.

Cure Kids chief executive Vicki Lee said she was blown away by the support Red Nose Day got from the country.

"Last year was big but this year we've really felt like the entire country got behind us and raised money for Red Nose Day to Cure Kids. With over 650 schools the level of support has been incredible.

"Cure Kids is one of the largest funders of child health research in New Zealand. We know that cures are neither swift nor simple and the $1.4 million raised tonight will help find the better treatments and cures our kids need. Thank you to everyone who got behind us, every dollar makes a difference."

Last year's Red Nose Day campaign raised $1.3 million and was directed to important child health research.

Cure Kids funds research into better treatments and cures for a wide range of childhood diseases such as still birth, leukemia, rheumatic heart disease, asthma and inherited heart conditions.

One in every 30 Kiwi kids is born with a genetic malformation and more than 600 babies are born with heart defects each year. At least 30 will need corrective surgery.

Cure Kids is the official charity of New Zealand Rugby and the All Blacks.