QBE teams up New Zealand partners to support World Homeless Day

QBE New Zealand (QBE) is teaming up two of its partners, North Harbour Rugby and the charity Orange Sky, to shine a spotlight on World Homeless Day this 10th of October.

QBE will be running an orange edition of its ‘Goals for Good’ initiative during North Harbour’s Saturday showdown against Hawke’s Bay. For every try North Harbour scores on the day, QBE will donate $2,000 to Orange Sky to support its important mission to help and connect the 41,000 New Zealanders experiencing homelessness.

Orange Sky is the world’s first free mobile laundry service for people experiencing homelessness. More than that, it exists to restore dignity and visibility to those experiencing some of their toughest times, with warm showers and genuine conversation turning something most people take for granted into a powerful vehicle for changing lives.

QBE will be providing orange T-shirts to around 40 people in the crowd¹  to illustrate that approximately one in a hundred people are homeless in New Zealand. Orange Sky will also bring one of its iconic orange laundry vans to the stadium to demonstrate how its 100 weekly volunteers work to create a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who too often feel ignored or disconnected from their community.

Declan Moore, CEO & Chief Customer Officer, QBE New Zealand & Pacific said that the collaboration is a great way to bring its New Zealand partners together and raise awareness around a very important cause.

“We’re really grateful to North Harbour Rugby for getting on board and helping us raise funds and awareness to mark World Homeless Day and the great work Orange Sky do. In the face of everything that’s happened this year, it’s more important than ever that we collaborate and play our part in supporting New Zealanders in need.”

Eddie Uini, Manager of Service Operations at Orange Sky New Zealand said: “Massive shout out to QBE and North Harbour Rugby for helping us share our mission on World Homeless Day. I love the idea of QBE Goals for Good, linking sport with our message of connection for our friends experiencing homelessness. The funds raised are going to be a huge help making sure we have everything we need to keep our washers spinning and showers flowing for people who need it most.”

David Gibson, North Harbour Chief Executive added: “QBE are wonderful partners to have onboard and it’s really great collaborating with Orange Sky. Having learnt about their organisation and the important work they do within our communities, we feel really fortunate to be able to support them in this way.”

About Orange Sky

Orange Sky is the world’s first free mobile laundry service for people experiencing homelessness – an idea founded in a Brisbane garage by two 20-year-old mates, Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett. In late 2014, the boys installed a couple of washing machines and dryers in the back of their old van and visited parks around Brisbane to wash and dry clothes for free. What started as an idea to improve hygiene standards and restore dignity to people doing it tough has evolved into something much bigger and more powerful.
ENDS

For more information:

Sarah Bond
Senior External Communications Specialist
QBE Australia Pacific
Phone: +61 466 028 302
Email: sarah.bond@qbe.com