Hospice South fundraising group Cruise 4 Care has smashed its previous fundraising record, rasing $56,000 at its recent A Night Out event. 

A crowd of 330 people attended the event last Saturday with New Zealand golf royalty Steve Williams making a guest appearance.

The money raised represented the value of bids made at an auction held at the event, meaning the total does not include ticket sales.

The 2026 event eclipsed previous years with $40,000 raised in 2024 and $45,000 in 2025.

The charity auction included a collection of sporting memorabilia, experiences and nostalgic memorabilia.

Notable items included time with Steve Williams, a signed Lionel Messi shirt, signed Richie McCaw All Blacks jersey, a signed AC/DC guitar, and other signed memorabilia.

Mr Williams was happy to play his part, saying he appreciated how generous the crowd were.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had some amazing experiences throughout my sport career, so being able to share a few of those stories and help raise money for Hospice South made it very worthwhile.

“Hospice is one of those services that touches so many families and communities, it was fantastic to see people really get behind it.”

Hospice South chief executive Pete Thompson said the auction result alone showed the scale of generosity.

“To see $56,000 in bids on the night from the auction alone is an incredible result and we know there is still more to come once the final event total is calculated.”

He was grateful to Cruise 4 Care for organising an event of this scale and for Mr Williams to providing his time.

“330 people turning up and getting behind Hospice South is pretty extraordinary.

“Cruise 4 Care has supported Hospice South for three consecutive years and we are enormously grateful for the time, energy, and commitment the team continues to put into supporting us.”

He said community fundraising was vital to allow Hospice South to continue providing palliative care, free of charge to those who needed it.

“Hospice care is free for the people who need it, but providing that care isn’t free.

“We rely on our community to help bridge the gap between government funding and the actual cost of delivering our service.”

He highlighted the work of the Cruise 4 Care team and also the people of Southland who “get behind Hospice the way it does”.

“That support makes a very real difference to the people and families we care for.”

Cruise 4 Care’s next event will be the annual park run on November 21 which is open to anyone.

 — ALLIED MEDIA