Gareth the most popular in our Celebrity Auction

Investor and economist Gareth Morgan is the most popular in UNICEF NZ’s TradeMe auction, getting higher bids than Fair Go presenter Alison Mau and TV3 news anchor Mike McRoberts.

UNICEF NZ is auctioning dinner with each of the celebrities, who are UNICEF Ambassadors, in order to raise funds for UNICEF’s relief work in flood-ravaged Pakistan.

Gareth Morgan is now leading the auction with $705, previous leader Alison Mau is second with $670, and Mike McRoberts is third with $445. The auctions close at midnight on Saturday.

“Logan Brown has stepped up to sponsor the dinner with Gareth Morgan, which may be a contributing factor to why Gareth is more popular at the moment” says UNICEF NZ Executive Director Dennis McKinlay.

Logan Brown was named New Zealand Restaurant of the Year by Cuisine Magazine in 2009 and is in Wellington. The dinners with Mike McRoberts and Alison Mau are in Auckland.

“Either that, or people are keen to get some good economic advice from Gareth after the last two years,” he says.

“There is a lot of interest in the auction. People appreciate they can have a great night out while supporting those in need. Any amount of money helps, so by participating in the auctions, the celebrities and auction winners are contributing to the relief effort,” he says.

More than 14 million people have been affected by the floods, 6 million of whom are children.

UNICEF is the lead agency in water supply, sanitation, nutrition, child and education, (with Save the Children) coordinating people to avoid duplication of resources. “One of the biggest threats is the outbreak of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera, to which children are especially vulnerable,” he says.

"UNICEF is currently providing enough clean water for 1.3 million people every day, but millions more need the same services. We urgently need to scale up the distribution of water.”

How you can help
Bid on MIke, Ali or Gareth in the UNICEF NZ Trade Me auction for Pakistan.
Donate to UNICEF NZ's Pakistan Emergency Appeal.