About $10,000 in vouchers has been donated to the Haven Trust to kick-start its fundraising to establish a business and home in Queenstown for families escaping from domestic violence.
Although the trust would own the accommodation, families would have the option of entering a rent-to-buy scheme.
It would also own a business where women would work, enabling them to learn skills to help them eventually seek employment elsewhere.
Trustee Susan Cheer said about $5 million would be required to buy the business, along with the land and accommodation on a separate site in the resort.
The trust hoped to eventually establish sites in Christchurch, Nelson, Wellington, Taupo and Auckland.
''We can go ahead [with less than $5 million] if we just buy the management rights for the business, but continue to pay rent for the ... land and buildings.
''We want to buy the whole business so once the Queenstown business starts generating income ... we're not wasting money on rent.''
On Sunday night the trust launched a nationwide gold coin donation scheme. If every adult New Zealander donated one gold coin, the trust would have sufficient funds to achieve its goal, she said.
Ms Cheer said she and fellow trustee Ailey Ong had given themselves 12 months to fundraise to get the Queenstown business ''up and running''.
Anyone wishing to purchase or provide vouchers for Haven Trust, raising money for the project, could email stay@centralridge.co.nz.
• Anyone wishing to make a gold-coin donation to the trust could deposit directly into the Haven Trust account, account number 12-3405-52603-00, with their surname as a reference.
