Blair Strang takes on Green MP David Clendon in a charity race

Television’s Blair Strang took on Green party MP David Clendon this weekend at the Cycle with the Stars event, all in the name of charity.

Cycle with the Stars saw the New Zealand personality’s race against the public and each other on stationary exercise bikes to win prizes and raise awareness for poverty housing.

Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organization which builds homes for kiwis in substandard living conditions hosted the Cycle with the Stars event.

The event’s organizers hope that the support of Blair Strang and David Clendon has helped to attract attention and build further awareness of Habitat for Humanity’s mission.

“Cycle with the Stars was awesome fun but most important is how much it contributed to Habitat’s future goals. We are really thankful these people have given their time to help us build towards a better future for New Zealanders” says Habitat’s director David Lawson.

Poverty housing is an often overlooked issue in New Zealand; October 3rd marks the beginning of National Habitat Awareness Week, a week to highlight the need for safe and decent shelter.

Cycle with the Stars also serves as a launch event for Habitat’s Bike to Build 2012 event which will see cyclists racing from Auckland to Wellington while raising funds for the organization.

Damp housing, overcrowding, poverty and stress have been identified by the Children’s Social Health Monitor as a key factor of the rise in child hospital admissions.
Children’s hospital admissions are on the rise as a result of poor housing standards in New Zealand.

A Waikato resident who has been helped by Habitat for Humanity says,
“Habitat means so much more than you may think. Yes they help build homes. But they also bring communities closer, encourage opportunity, and have enabled us to change our lives for the better.”


Habitat for Humanity was first established in New Zealand in 1993, where it built its first house in Pukekohe. Habitat has since built over 300 homes across New Zealand. The organization prides themselves on offering people a ‘hand up’ and not a ‘hand out’.


http://www.habitat.org.nz