Mataura business Adam Newton Homes built the 147sq m four-bedroom house, with the help from more than 45 suppliers and subcontractors who contributed time and materials to support the Southland Rural Support Trust.
Thousands of visitors filed through the house, sitting on the back of a transporter, before the auction last Thursday. Net profits went to the trust.
Bidding started at $400,000, before finishing at $572,000 — a figure Adam Newton Homes owner Adam Newton, was pleased with.
"It was a good result, pretty close to where we had our reserve.”
Auctioneer Hayden McCallum from Country & Co said the project was an easy one to support. "We thought it was a great initiative to be a part of. It’s for a good cause, something really meaningful for our company to be part of.”
Mr Newton was very grateful to the businesses that supported the initiative, saying they had been very generous. ‘‘There were not very many of our suppliers that didn’t help out in one way or another," he said.
With much of their client base being rural, fundraising for the trust was a no-brainer.
"The support that they offer farmers is exceptional.”
Rural Support Trust chairman Simon Hopcroft was very grateful for the initiative.
"We rely on our donations to fund a third of our operational costs. This allows us to provide post-adverse event work with response and recovery, plus wellbeing support in the rural community. It means a lot to us,” he said. — Allied Media
