NZAF boss Shaun Robinson joins the World AIDS Day collectors each year (file photo) While the throngs of commuters in downtown Auckland may have been reluctant to donate to today's World AIDS Day collection it appears collectors nearer the Auckland gay heartland suburbs of Ponsonby and Grey Lynn are doing rather better. NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson has been helping shake buckets at the New World supermarket near Victoria Park and says a "steady stream of people have been stealing up to us throughout the morning" to make donations. Striking an optimistic tone, he says the wet weather has cleared, the sun is out and "lots of folding money" is being slipped into his group's buckets. Robinson says he has high hopes of a good response to the annual collection this year. "There has been a lot of preparation and our zero stigma campaign has been out there for a month which has helped." Robinson is one of fifty collectors spread around the greater Auckland area including the Manukau Westfield mall in South Auckland. Other areas around the country were collectors are located include Cuba Mall and Courtenay Place in Wellington and the ReStart Mall and Westfield Riccarton in Christchurch. Money raised from the collections, once expenses are covered, is used to support struggling people living with HIV.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 28th November 2014 - 12:42pm