Contact Energy (Contact) has bolstered its ongoing partnership with Women’s Refuge by bringing children at the Ōtepoti-Dunedin Whānau and Gore & Clutha Whānau refuges a little extra Christmas magic this year. 

The teams at Contact’s hydroelectricity sites in Clyde and Roxburgh and contact centre in Dunedin have been collecting gifts for young people who will be staying at Women’s Refuges across the Otago region over the Christmas period.  

Contact targeted gift donations for older children who often get overlooked when people donate gifts to the refuge. 

“It’s so wonderful that Contact is helping us to make Christmas a bit better for the women and children in our refuge,” says Talia McConnell, Manager at the Gore & Clutha Whānau Refuge.

“Christmas can be a hard time for a lot of people, so this is a great initiative to help those who need it most. We usually get lots of gift donations for the younger children, so it’s fantastic that the older children staying with us will get to feel some extra love too.”

Women’s Refuge sees an uptake in women needing its services at this time of the year. It is expected that more than 6,000 women and children across New Zealand will seek refuge to stay safe from family violence over the summer holidays during December and January. 

“We’re really proud of our partnership with Women’s Refuge and that we can provide them with support over the Christmas period,” says Boyd Brinsdon, Head of Generation Hydro at Contact.

“Our people at the Clyde, Dunedin and Roxburgh sites were humbled to organise gifts for children spending Christmas at the Ōtepoti-Dunedin Whānau and Gore & Clutha Whanau refuges, including toys, books, arts and sports equipment.” 

Contact has also donated $10,000 in support of Women’s Refuge Summer Appeal. Since Contact’s partnership with Women’s Refuge began in July 2022, the energy provider has been gifting free electricity and broadband to the social service organisation’s 70 safe houses and refuges across the country.

ENDS

Image: Contact’s hydroelectric team are humbled to collect gifts for older children spending Christmas at the Gore & Clutha Whānau Refuge

Media enquiries 

Lotty Hird 
Senior Communications Advisor 
M: 027 207 8684 
E: lotty.hird@contactenergy.co.nz  

About Contact  

Contact Energy is one of New Zealand’s largest energy generators and retailers. We have more than 607,000 customer connections with electricity, gas, broadband and mobile plans. We currently 10 power stations across New Zealand, using geothermal, hydro and thermal energy to generate electricity.  

We are committed to leading the decarbonisation of New Zealand, and it is our vision to create and contribute to a better place to live; from the homes and communities we live in, to the land and resources that future generations can enjoy.  

Website: contact.co.nz More information can be found in Contact’s 2024 Integrated Report

About Women’s Refuge 

Established in 1973, the charity started out by women and children escaping domestic violence staying with other women and children. Today, there are 40 Refuges across the motu from Kaitaia to Invercargill. They provide a wide range of services including help accessing healthcare and counselling, budgeting advice, assisting with protection orders and other legal matters, finding a place to live, funding for children’s activities, and support with basics like food and clothing. Over the years, the charity has played a key role in advocating for changes to the law to protect victims of family violence.  

• On average, 50,000 women and children are referred to Women’s Refuge each year. 

• On average Women’s Refuge answers 71 crisis calls per day. 

• New Zealand has the highest rates of family violence in the OECD. 

• 1 in 3 women will experience abuse in their lifetime in Aotearoa. 

• Nearly half of all homicides and reported violent crimes are related to family violence. 

• Around 67% of family violence episodes go unreported. 

Website: https://womensrefuge.org.nz/