The devastation from the Christchurch earthquake has been heart breaking for all New Zealanders to watch. For Kiwi expats, being away from home only magnifies the feeling of helplessness and concern.

Thousands of expats around the world have taken action to fundraise and show their support for Christchurch. 80 initiatives have taken place so far, with events being continuously added to the list.  

Click here to see a list of initiatives that Kea members have either organised or supported around the world. Some have already been held and we will be updating this list as more initiatives are announced. Here is also an initiative of how experienced business people can help the SME business community in Christchurch.


World Class New Zealanders heed the call

Members of Kea’s World Class New Zealand Network have rallied to support Christchurch from their various locations around the world. They are using their skills and connections to help the devastated city and have been innovative in their thinking.

Google Engineering Director, Kiwi Craig Nevill-Manning, along with other Google staff, developed Google Person Finder – a web application that was originally developed following the 2010 Haiti Earthquake and was able to be used in Christchurch. The tool provides a registry and message board for family, friends and victims in the aftermath of a disaster and can be embedded in virtually any website.

Phil Keoghan, who hosts The Amazing Race, played his part to help the New Zealand Tourism industry by raising awareness that despite the earthquake, New Zealand was still ‘open for business’. He flew to his hometown of Christchurch and filmed a personal reaction to the quake which screened on US network CBS's primetime news bulletins on 28th February. See here for more details.

Chris Liddell, ex- Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman of General Motors, was born in Matamata and now resides in Detroit. General Motors contributed approx $268,000 to the earthquake relief fund.

Icebreaker CEO and Founder Jeremy Moon launched a 57 hour fundraiser in his Icebreaker stores worldwide. From the time Icebreaker’s New Zealand stores opened on Thursday 3rd March, to the close of the US eCom site, every dollar consumers spent was donated to the Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal.

Founder of Untouched World, Peri Drysdale spoke to TVNZ about the challenges facing businesses in the Christchurch area. Click here to hear her thoughts.