11 December 2014

Macho men raise funds for Movember

Auckland Council ‘macho men’ channeled such luminaries as Ryan Gosling, Ron Burgundy, Franz Josef and Billy T. James in their efforts to raise money for men’s health during ‘Movember’.

The council network of moustache growers raised $17,719 – the third highest amount raised by any network in the country. The money will help fund programmes working to improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health issues.

The council’s top fundraisers were Head of Information Services, Mike Foley, who raised $2103 (25th individual overall in New Zealand) and Kumar Naik, Data Services Manager, who raised $1030 (103rd overall in New Zealand).

Movember New Zealand Country Manager Robert Dunne says showcasing moustaches at work during the month of November helped increase enthusiasm for the challenge.

"To get 70 people signed up to the campaign was fantastic. This was one of the biggest teams in the country and we are hugely grateful for Auckland Council going over and above this year to help us change the face of men’s health in New Zealand.”

Auckland Council’s People and Capability Director, Alan Brookbanks, says that along with raising money for men’s health, Movember also raised awareness of the importance of men regularly having health checks and therefore dramatically increasing their chances of staying healthy.

“With everyone from Chief Executive Stephen Town to Head of Information Services Mike Foley getting involved, council people were reminded to check their own health.

“We incorporated Movember into our low-cost health and wellbeing programme for staff, which is a key part of our engagement strategy – having a healthy, engaged workforce is an important priority for us.”

The success of Movember follows on from Auckland Council’s October ‘Pink Day’ fundraiser, which raised $5435 for women’s health.

To find out more about Movember, see: http://nz.movember.com/

ENDS

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