45 South Wilderness Lunch fundraiser brings in $180,000
Thursday 18 Apr 2019
A taste of the wilderness combined with some of the region’s finest produce at the annual Colliers Latitude 45 South lunch and charity auction, helping raise a massive $180,000 for the event’s chosen charities, namely the Wakatipu High School Foundation, Cure Kids and the Otago Hospice.
The event, now in its 8th year, invites Colliers International’s top brokers and private high net worth clients to a day that showcases the area’s natural playground alongside luxury hospitality.
This year the event was hosted at the spectacular 300 acre historic property at Paradise administered by the Paradise Trust, providing a spectacular setting for the 2019 lunch. Around 60 guests were helicoptered onsite to experience a day of outdoor activities with Break One Clay Target shooting kicking off the action, followed by a ‘closest to the pin’ golf activity hosted by local pro-golfer Greg Turner.
The activities combined with premium Akarua wine donated by the Skeggs family and food prepared by Chef Brendan, to set the scene for the charity auction. Colliers International Otago auctioneer Brendan Quill took control of the spirited bidding on items ranging from a decadent Fiji escape to a Fiordland wilderness adventure. Sports lovers snapped up tickets to the 2020 Australian Open and 2019 Bledisloe Cup in Perth.
Mark Simpson, Colliers International Queenstown director says the format of the annual event has the right blend of wilderness and luxury that has clients asking to come back year after year. ‘After hosting this unique event for 8 years, we’ve worked out a good model that keeps it simple, while offering guests something unique that they can’t buy, and ultimately providing an amazing result for the chosen charities. We are fortunate in Queenstown to have some truly special locations that really showcases the region’s rugged landscape, giving guests lasting memories. This year Paradise delivered the goods, enabling us to raise a significant amount of money which provides meaningful support to the selected charities.’
The generosity of the attendees has seen the event raising in excess of $1,150,000 since its inception, distributed across the chosen charities of the Wakatipu High School Foundation, Cure Kids and the Otago Hospice.
