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05 Feb 2011 | Press Release
What is the first charity you remember supporting?
When I was six years old in Wellington, our school held a Skipathon for the Heart Foundation.
Which cause do you feel most passionately about?
Children affected by illness. If you want to see true courage, look into the eyes of a sick child. It's the most humbling and inspiring experience to help them. The catalyst for [setting up] Medikidz was the frustration of being a paediatric doctor, diagnosing young people, but never having any literature to help them understand their condition. Everything existed just for parents.
What do you get out of your giving?
As a practising doctor, I loved helping individual people. With Medikidz, I believe I am improving the Iives of children by the millions. It's satisfying that l'm working sustainably: not on the streets shaking a tin for charity, but maintaining myself economically by doing something good.
Should sponsorship pay for a fundraiser's expenses?
What really matters is the fundraiser's commitment to the cause, the good that is being done and the net positive resuit. But full transparency is fundamental, so sponsors know exactly where their money is going and how it is spent.
Are there moral compiications when Charity workers are salaried?
Not if there is complete transparency and the donors know how their money is spent. Often, in order to attract the best talent, salaries, maybe even substantial ones, are required. I've learned that if you hire the best people the results will more than pay for the expense,
What's your favourite example of a charity in action?
I've always been hugely impressed by Starlight (www.starlight.org.uk), which grants wishes to seriously ill children. I was especially touched by a young girl with leukaemia, whose dream was to bake a cake for the Queen. She baked a chocolate cake covered in Smarties and it seems the Queen loved it!
Should we put our own country's Citizens first?
We should put the neediest first, regardless of where they are. We live in an increasingly interdependent world, in which charity breaks down boundaries.
How does the donation culture in New Zealand compare to the British?
New Zealand holds philanthropy in very high regard. In fact, last year New Zealand and Australia were first equal on the Charity Index, a survey ranking 153 nations on the willingness of their Citizens to donate to charity. The UK was eighth.
Interview by Angus Watson howtogiveit@ft.com