18,000 Steps for Gaza

Kia ora e te whānau,

This is a call to action:

Join me for a fundraising run on Sunday, June 8, or

Donate to support the cause if you can’t make it.

As of May 2025, it’s estimated that over 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. Thousands more are missing and presumed buried under the rubble. It’s beyond heartbreaking. As a father of young twins, I can only imagine the grief that the families of these lost children are going through -- if they have survived themselves. This has to stop.

To honour these children — and to raise vital funds for ReliefAid, a New Zealand charity still managing to get aid into Gaza — my friends and I will be running “18,000 Steps for Gaza” (approx. 13.5km) on the morning of Sunday, June 8 at 08:00am at Parrs Park, Glen Eden.

This challenge is open to everyone:

🏃‍♀️ Runners, 🚶‍♂️ walkers, run-walkers, wheelchair users — whatever your pace or ability, we’d love to have you involved.

Can’t participate in the run? Come down, cheer us on, help out at a drink station — or just be there in solidarity.

TIME:

7:30AM --- BRIEFING AT PLAYGROUND CARPARK

8:00AM --- FIRST STEPS TAKEN!!

Our (ambitious) goal is to raise $18,000. I know many of us have been watching this horror unfold, feeling powerless. But this is something we can do.

ReliefAid is on the ground. They’re delivering support. But they need help.

Let’s get behind them.