Fishing for fun and funds

PlaceMakers Kapiti’s second annual Classic Fishing competition was a great success – giving rise to some friendly rivalry between builders and staff and raising $2,500 for the local Coastguard.

The competition, which began last year, was instigated by PlaceMakers Kapiti joint venture operator Greg Kusabs.

“Given we live in such a beautiful part of the country, with amazing fishing that a large majority of our customers enjoy in their spare time – I figured a social competition would be a great way to bring everyone together,” says Greg.  “At the same time, we thought it would be good to turn it into a fundraiser for the local Coastguard, as they do such important work in our community.”

Run over two days in March, the tournament’s already grown in popularity; 15 boats were entered last year and 25 this time.

“It’s a real family affair with our customers, their kids and partners, suppliers and staff,” says Greg. “Individual fishermen score points and prizes for the biggest fish in each species and we have overall team prizes based on points accumulated for size and variety.”

The competition finishes with prize giving on the Sunday evening, where everyone has a chance to socialise and tell stories about the ones that got away. This year, the PlaceMakers’ team invited ex-All Black Joe Stanley to attend and held a fish auction, which greatly increased their final Coastguard donation to $2,500 (up from $900 last year)!

“We’ve been extremely lucky with the support we receive from our suppliers, both on the water and off,” says Greg. “The customers love it and word keeps spreading, so next year we know it will be bigger and better.”