A crowdfunding initiative on Givealittle is gaining steam this week, as 3200 kiwis have already pledged their money to help buy an Auckland home from a private seller, in the interests of giving it back to the country, and providing all New Zealanders with a chance to use it.
The home, located on the outskirts of Masterton, was recently put up for sale on something called the property market, which is an isolated economy usually accessible to only the very wealthiest handful of New Zealanders.
Upper Hutt man David Townsend, who together with a group of friends is behind the Givealittle page, says the purchase of the 3-bedroom wooden home – which they plan to buy for $1.1 million – is a “unique opportunity” to “put a little something back in the hands of the people.”
“It really isn’t often an opportunity like this comes up,” he said, standing in front of the burnt-out wooden home, grass beginning to grow half-way up its moldy exterior.
Townsend said those who donate the most towards the house will have “first dibs” on which room they take, though stressed that the home was “for all New Zealanders,” and that nobody would be turned away.
“It’s a beautiful piece of New Zealand real estate,” he said. “There’s no reason it can’t accommodate everybody.”
While all New Zealanders would get to enjoy the benefits of the home, said Townsend, they will also need to take their fair share of responsibility.
“This means that absolutely everyone has to be a part of the cleaning roster, gardening roster, and, you know, at some point, someone’s going to have to fix the windows and draining system, because neither are really working right now.”
Multimillionaire businessman Gareth Morgan has pledged that he’ll donate as much as $16 to the effort, but only on the condition that he and his family receive access to the home’s toilet at “any time.”