Whale Rider actor to attend Tsunami Fundraiser

Press Release

15 October 2009

Whale Rider actor to attend Tsunami Fundraiser

Paekakariki actor Tangaroa Emile (Once Were Warriors, Whale Rider, No.2, Avatar) will be mingling with guests at a special screening of Sione’s Wedding to raise funds for Tsunami victims in Samoa and Tonga.

The fundraising event, which takes place at 8pm on Friday 23 Oct at St Peter’s Hall in Paekakariki, has been named “Love, Loss and the Sea II”, following a similar event a few weeks ago to raise funds for victims of the Princess Ashika ferry tragedy in Tonga.

The event has been organised by Paekakariki Community Board Deputy Chair Helen Keivom.

“This is the second time that our Pacific friends have been hit by a terrible tragedy this year,” Ms Keivom says.  “We have to do all we can to raise funds to help to rebuild houses, organise funerals and generally support the Pacific communities which have already been hard hit this year by the recession.”

Whilst the earlier fundraiser for the Princess Ashika victims raised in excess of $1000, it also provided a lot of moral support for the victims’ families.  A YouTube video of the event has gone global and messages of thanks from as far away as the United States have been posted on the website.

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