Kiwis bid $8000 for celebrity Fairtrade coffee dates

Six Trade Me users have bid an impressive $8000 combined for Fairtrade coffee dates with some of New Zealand’s favourite celebs.

An hour with Trade Me founder Sam Morgan went for a whopping $3030; a coffee with comedian Te Radar $1200; a night at the theatre with Robyn Malcolm, $710; sharing design ideas in Kate Sylvester’s studio $1000; a delicious lunch at Wellington’s Logan Brown with restaurateur Steve Logan $870; and a coffee with the gorgeous Shortland Street actress Faye Smythe $1100.

The celebrity Coffee Breaks are taking place during Fairtrade Fortnight (May 1-16). People can sign up to host their own Oxfam Coffee Break with their friends or colleagues and Oxfam will send each host a Coffee Break pack containing Caffe L'affare Fairtrade coffee or hot chocolate, and all the materials they need to help promote Fairtrade and to fundraise.

“It’s fantastic to have the support of our celebrities and their six auction winners, and what’s really going to make a difference is if thousands of people around the country take part during the fortnight, helping to raise awareness of Fairtrade and lifting farmers and growers in the developing world out of poverty,” says Oxfam’s Fairtrade Coordinator Linda Broom.

• Sign up to Oxfam’s Biggest Coffee Break now!  

All proceeds from the Coffee Breaks go towards Oxfam’s work in the Pacific, East Asia and Africa, supporting people to access safe water and sanitation, to build a sustainable livelihood, to provide education and healthcare for their children, and to live free from persecution and violence