Golden Bay online retailer donates $125,000 to charities

Golden Bay online retailer donates $125,000 to charities

HealthPost, New Zealand’s leading online retailer of natural health and skincare products, has donated $125,000 to charities chosen by their customers over the past two years.

The rate of giving is currently over $6000 per month, with customers able to choose to have $1 per order donated by HealthPost to the New Zealand Red Cross, The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, the newly-added WWF New Zealand and the HealthPost Environmental Fund.

Since the programme was launched in 2010, the Red Cross has been the most popular selection, receiving $47,000 from HealthPost. The $33,000 donated to the second favourite The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ has enabled more than 1000 people in the Pacific to have their sight restored.

John Ware, the Chief Executive of New Zealand Red Cross says effective partnerships with businesses are increasingly important in the not-for-profit world.

“New Zealand Red Cross’ partners help improve our ability to prepare for and respond to emergencies; increase avenues for communication, and access to volunteers; provide strategic insight; and strengthen our financial base,” he said. “Contributions received from HealthPost support programmes in every community across New Zealand and we are extremely grateful for their support.”

HealthPost Director Lucy Butler says the philosophy behind the donation programme is the family-owned business’s belief that the health of the individual is intrinsically linked to the health of the wider community and the natural environment.

“There’s nothing new about this – Plato believed that the part can never be well unless the whole is well,” she said. “Our goal is to donate 10 per cent of our profit to worthy causes, so we’ll be progressively expanding our donation programme over the next couple of years to encompass more projects that we, our staff and our customers believe in.”

Ms Butler said customer feedback on the donation scheme had been very positive, with people commenting that they were pleased to have the opportunity to assist others.

“While it is HealthPost who makes these donations, it's really our customers who drive the scheme by choosing to shop with us and deciding the cause they want to support,” she said.

HealthPost is located in the small Golden Bay township of Collingwood at the top of the South Island. As well as its donations programme, the company prides itself on its sustainability and recently installed 72 photovoltaic panels on the roof of their warehouse, which are now generating all of their electricity.

ENDS

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