Cause you deserve it

Five causes I'd generously help if I had a billion dollars~

Red Pandas: My local zoo offers 'close encounters' with red pandas - you get to go into their enclosure, learn about them and pat them while you feed them fruit. I bought passes for a friend & I for Christmas last year and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. 10% of the pass price goes towards red panda conservation efforts - I would gladly give them way more if I could!

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: I've adopted two wonderful cats from the SPCA and totally support their cause. Every year they hold an annual appeal in NZ called 'SPCA Cupcake Day' it's a lot of fun and quite a challenge to decorate your cupcakes with an animal theme! My team has organised it at work for the last 3 years and this year was our best ever record, raising around $300NZD.

Fair Trade: I tend to feel like a drop in a bucket when it comes to global causes, so being able to do more than just buy fair trade products would be awesome.

Westpac Helicopter: This is a free service that will come if you have a medical emergency. I have volunteered as a fund raising collector for the last two years and it's quite humbling to have strangers in the street come up to donate money - sometimes they'll share a story of how the Helicopter has saved the life of someone in their family or a friend.

Wellington Free Ambulance: This is another local cause that's really critical to our city. When you call 111 (emergency/911), they're the crew that respond, free of charge. According to their website it costs $21 million NZD to run per year and they're only partly government funded.