A night in the pools raised more than money — it rallied a region
Night for Flight began with a straightforward brief: help Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa raise funds for two vital causes: the Westpac Rescue Helicopter fleet upgrade and a new community helipad for the Hanmer Springs township.
What it became was something bigger.
The challenge
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter is a genuine lifeline for Canterbury and the West Coast. Many people in Hurunui have a personal connection to it: a neighbour airlifted from a remote trail, a farmer rescued after an accident on the land. The need was real. But translating that into a fundraising event that people would actually show up to? That took more than a promotional campaign.
For Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa, a community-owned destination already deeply invested in the region, this was also a first. An event of this scale and ambition was new territory, and real proof of that commitment.
Our approach
We started by listening. Workshops with the HSTPS team, conversations with community members, and input from frontline staff helped us build a picture of who we were talking to and what would move them.
Three audiences shaped everything: community-minded Hurunui residents with a personal stake in emergency services; local businesses and potential sponsors looking for meaningful ways to contribute; and the wider Canterbury community, open to a unique experience with real purpose behind it.
From there, we built a campaign around real people and real stories, not statistics and donation targets. Six in-depth case studies and dozens of community-submitted rescue testimonials sat at the heart of a purpose-built campaign website, nightforflight.co.nz, created specifically for the event. The site hosted integrated ticketing, raffles, auctions, and donations plus a fundraising tracker.
A partner toolkit gave 50 local businesses ready-to-use assets, social copy, and coordinated messaging, so the campaign showed up not just through official channels, but through trusted local voices. QR-coded posters went into café windows. A children's colouring-in competition landed in schools. A fundraising thermometer at pool reception climbed week by week, making progress visible to every visitor.
Media relations ran from September through to the evening itself and beyond, with post-event follow-up sharing the final results. Stories ran across The Press, Stuff, Newstalk ZB, Radio New Zealand, the ODT, and more than two dozen other outlets.
The night
On 28 November, 2,500 people soaked under the stars at Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa. Live music, food, themed activities, auctions, and raffles filled the evening, and the community showed up, in every sense.
The results
The $25,000 fundraising target had felt ambitious. The campaign raised $43,000, 72% above goal.
Media coverage reached a combined audience of 731,812 across 34 items including national print, digital, and radio. Social media reached 128,117 individual users on Facebook and 49,311 on Instagram, surpassing the 100,000-impression objective. Community connection deepened through 49 business partners, exceeding the target of 40.
The funds contributed to the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust's acquisition of four new state-of-the-art rescue helicopters, increasing the number of missions they can respond to by 20%.
Kathryn Marshall, Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust Fundraising and Development Director, said the campaign opened new doors within the North Canterbury business community for future support.
For HSTPS General Manager Sarah Wiblin, Night for Flight set a precedent the team is committed to building on: proof that when an organisation stands behind causes that genuinely matter, the community shows up in extraordinary ways.
