Kiwi Screen Community And Auckland Locals Take 18,000 Steps To Honour Gaza's Lost Children
On Sunday June 8, Aucklanders will gather at Parrs Park in Glen Eden at 8am for '18,000 Steps for Gaza' —a walk/run event dedicated to honouring the 18,000 children estimated to have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Led by a collective of filmmakers, actors, sportspeople, and local community members, the initiative invites participants to complete 18,000 steps—each one symbolising a child's life lost. The Givealittle page has already raised $5,000 toward its $18,000 goal for ReliefAid, a New Zealand-based humanitarian organisation providing critical support on the ground in Gaza.
A number of well-known New Zealanders have already pledged to participate, including actors Aidee Walker (Outrageous Fortune), Michelle Langstone (Westside), Dave Van Horn (Avatar), Dominic Ona Ariki (One Lane Bridge), Fleur Saville (Shortland Street), and Dimitrius Koloamatangi (Red, White & Brass) (remotely), as well as league legend Ruben Wiki, rapper Diggy Dupe, and filmmaker Nua Finau (Panthers). More names are expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
'18,000 is a crazy number,' says organiser and filmmaker Tom Hern (The Dark Horse). 'When I sat with that, it really opened my heart. The average primary school roll in Aotearoa is around 160 students. That means 18,000 children is the equivalent of more than 100 schools of children being wiped out. Each one of those kids is someone's son or daughter, or grandchild. I can only imagine the pure heartbreak for the families—if they survived themselves.
'This fundraiser, for me, isn't really political. For many, that's where their energy goes, and I respect that. But for me, this is simply a human response. As a father—and just as a person with any conscience—I couldn't keep watching this extreme suffering and do nothing. So I reached out to my friends and asked for their help to raise crucial funds to support these innocent lives. It's a small contribution. But it's something.'
Event Details
What: 18,000 Steps for Gaza (estimated 13.5km)
When: Sunday, June 8, 2025 — 7:30 AM Briefing, 8:00 AM Start
Where: Parrs Park, Glen Eden (Meet at the Playground)
Who: Open to all — run, walk, or move in your own way. No registration required.
Donate: 18,000 Steps for Gaza Givealittle
Participants are encouraged to bring a fitness tracker or phone to track their steps. For those without, steps will be estimated per lap. A hydration station will be available on-site.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
6 hours ago
- Scoop
Joy On Display: Taupō Museum Opens Uplifting New Exhibition
'Every time I walk past that painting of yours, I smile,' a collector once told artist Lianne Adams. That single expression helped inspire the theme of Joy, the latest exhibition at Taupō Museum. Opening this Friday 18 July, Joy celebrates the simple but powerful emotion of happiness, and invites visitors to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the uplifting energy that art can bring. The title of the exhibition also reflects the feeling that the three artists experienced when they made the life-changing decision to leave the daily work grind to pursue careers in the arts. Lianne began her painting journey at Active Arts in Taupō creating modern acrylics, whimsical collages, and mixed-media pieces that evoke nostalgia and warmth. Nicki Mclaren, a familiar face at Market Central Taupō with her handcrafted resin domestic ware, presents a striking selection of large-scale resin art and contemporary paintings. Alison, a Tauranga-based metal artist and painter, celebrates female strength and creativity through works crafted with a welder, blowtorch, and brush. Despite their distinct styles, the three artists are united by a shared passion and a desire to spread joy through their work. Joy opens with a special launch event on Friday 18 July at 6pm at Taupō Museum. The public is warmly invited to attend. The exhibition will be on display from 19 July to 31 August. Taupō Museum is open daily from 10am to 4.30pm and entry is free for locals with proof of address. Come along, take a moment, and experience the joy for yourself.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Bookmarks with Milly Mitchell-Anyon
books music about 1 hour ago Milly Mitchell-Anyon is a rising voice in Aotearoa's arts scene - she's held exhibitions at Sarjeant Gallery, Puke Ariki, and Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She's just launched 'Flaming Star' a genre-bending show which reimagines the Wild West through queer and Indigenous lenses. She shares her book, music, film and podcast picks with Jesse.
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- RNZ News
Late starter, strong finisher
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. Pianist Abhinath Berry Photo: Supplied As a child, Abhinath Berry didn't enjoy piano lessons, so he stopped having them. Usually, that'd be the end of the story - at least the story the piano would play in the young musician's life. But as Berry reached his mid-teens, he began to avail himself of the piano keyboards at his Dunedin high school. And at home, Berry began to teach himself. It may not have given the perfect technique (in fact, for a while Berry probably thought he'd left his run too late to take up the piano professionally), but he was good enough to convince Otago University Piano Professor Terence Dennis to award him a place at the University's music school. Now, having graduated from Otago, Berry is halfway through a Master of Music in Performance at London's Guildhall School of Music. He's taken a break from London and its exceedingly hot summer to return to New Zealand, where he's enjoying the Dunedin winter while also performing several concerts. Berry spoke to RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump, where they discussed his introduction to the piano, what he's playing during his working trip around the country, and what he's looking forward to when he returns to Guildhall for the second half of his course. Berry says that will focus more on teaching musicians the marketing skills they need to carve our a musical niche in a busy professional field. He's also been working on developing piano exercises that tap into some of the things he learned when he was still teaching himself. Exercises which are shorter than those often prescribed today, and which focus on specific challenges a pianist needs to overcome, rather than running on for too long and running the risk of the musician injuring themselves. Having already performed a concert in Dunedin, Berry still has three gigs to go before returning to the Northern Hemisphere: in Wellington, Arrowtown and Wanaka.
