Turning Tairāwhiti's Winter Citrus Abundance into Community Connection and Hospice Care

Hospice Tairāwhiti is inviting the community to squeeze a little more goodness out of winter with the launch of the inaugural Great Gizzy Citrus Challenge, a fun and flexible fundraising campaign encouraging locals to gather with friends, whānau, colleagues and classmates while raising vital funds for hospice care.

Running throughout July and August 2026, the challenge celebrates one of the region's most abundant winter resources – citrus. Participants can form a "Citrus Crew" and have fun with a range of citrus-themed challenges, including bake-offs, dinner clubs, cocktail evenings, movie nights, marmalade-making competitions, creative workshops and more.

Teams can complete as many or as few challenges as they wish. Tick off all ten, swap some out for wild cards, or simply choose your favourites. Teams can also set their own fundraising goal or simply see where the challenge takes them. And, by the way, you don't even need a crew because "Awesome Parties of One" can take part too.

This initiative also shines a spotlight on one of Tairāwhiti's winter treasures – citrus. At this time of year, many of us have access to lemons, limes, oranges and mandarins growing in our own backyards or shared among neighbours, friends and whānau. By building this fundraising campaign around fruit that is plentiful and easily accessible, Hospice Tairāwhiti is creating an affordable and creative way for people to get involved.

Hospice Tairāwhiti invites people to take part wherever they are – at home, at work, at school, at their local café or with their community group. The Great Gizzy Citrus Challenge provides a range of easy challenges that individuals, workplaces, friend groups, schools and community groups can complete. Many of the challenges encourage people to gather, share food, learn new skills, celebrate creativity and spend quality time together at a time of year when social opportunities can be fewer, making this a great way to strengthen community connections during the winter months.

While the challenge is all about having fun and making the most of winter, it also plays an important role in supporting local hospice care. This year, Hospice Tairāwhiti must raise approximately $500,000 to continue providing specialist palliative care services free of charge to patients and whānau across the region.

Unlike traditional fundraising events, the Great Gizzy Citrus Challenge places the power of fundraising directly into the hands of our community. By encouraging community-led fundraising, we hope to extend Hospice Tairāwhiti's reach beyond the events and activities organised by the hospice itself. Every fundraiser, big or small, helps take some of the weight off Hospice Tairāwhiti's shoulders, allowing our team to focus their energy, time and resources on supporting patients and whānau through some of life's most challenging times.

Hospice Tairāwhiti hopes the challenge will become an annual community tradition that combines generosity, creativity, local pride and a shared commitment to supporting hospice care in Tairāwhiti.

Registrations open on the 1st July, with fundraising taking place throughout July and August.

To register a Citrus Crew or learn more, visit www. hospicetairawhiti.org.nz