Cheerful Queen Street collectors (from left) Leanne, Tasmyne, Bex, Mackenzie and Katie 8.15am: Collectors on the country's busiest main street are keeping their spirits up despite cool wet weather and more misses than hits as they solicit funds for the World AIDS Day street collection being held around the country. In a ten minute period observed by GayNZ.com, during which an estimated average of 150 city workers per minute streamed past one lower Queen Street, Auckland, collection point only three people offered unsolicited donations. Of the thirty eight actively invited to donate only eight placed any money in the bucket. However, after just over half an hour of collecting the three women from MAC cosmetics had been given approximately $25, including a $5 note which they were thrilled to receive. One of the group, Tasmyne, says she doesn't let the lack of response by so many people get her down. "It's ok," she laughs, we just keep asking!" Outside one of the exits of the nearby Britomart train station collector Nick notes he and his collection partner Debbie have garnered "a bit more" than the other group. Of the many pedestrians who ignore the collectors he says "We get used to it." Then he laughs loudly, "We're in retail... of course we're used to it!" A nearby man sitting on the footpath outside a McDonalds with a plastic coffee cup asking passers by for money says he is not having a good day money-wise. "It's wet... they don't stop much on wet days," he says. Collectors in a number of main centres are on the streets today soliciting money to be used to supplement services offered to people whose lives are adversely affected by their HIV infection, most of whom in New Zealand are gay or bisexual men.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 28th November 2014 - 8:24am