Source: I Am Hope
12 October 2026
New Zealand is being called on to gumboot up on Friday 6 November, with I Am Hope urging schools, kura, businesses, workplaces, community groups, families and individuals across the country to get involved and help raise money and hope for young Kiwis.
From Olympians and world-class athletes to television, radio and entertainment personalities, an eclectic mix of well-known Kiwis are getting ready to gumboot up, including Westside and Double Parked award-winning actor Antonia Prebble, author and former pro wakeboarder, Brad Smeele, Shortland Street actor Fleur Saville, musician Troy Kingi, broadcaster Mike Puru, former New Zealand rugby league captain Richie Barnett and commonwealth games gold-medalist triathlete Rick Wells.
Since 2019, Gumboot Friday has funded more than 170,000 free counselling sessions for young people aged 5–25.
That is more than 170,000 times a young person has had someone there to listen. More than 170,000 opportunities for a young person to talk about what is going on, work through something difficult, or simply have a safe place to say what they might not be saying anywhere else.
Those are 170,000 reasons for New Zealand to get behind Gumboot Friday again.
“New Zealand has already backed tens of thousands of our kids, and that support has made a the difference we are seeing today,” says I Am Hope founder Mike King.
“Now we’re asking the country to do it again.
“Get your gumboots on. Get your school involved, get your workmates involved, get your mates together and have some fun with it. Raise a few dollars, start a conversation and show our kids that we’ve got their backs.
“Every one of those 170,000 sessions represents a young person who had someone to talk to before little things became big things. That’s what we’re raising money for. That’s what the gumboots are about.”
Gumboot Friday is an iconic annual event that anyone can take part in.
Schools and kura can hold gumboot days or fundraising challenges. Businesses can get their teams involved. Cafés and bakeries can run collections or special events. Sports clubs can organise challenges. Families can get together. Communities can hold gumboot throws, walks, runs or whatever else they can come up with.
Most importantly, everyone can wear a gumboot to show our kids they’re not alone.
And this year, there is plenty happening around the country for the media to get behind.
WHAT’S ON
PROJECT GUMBOOT
South Island | 11-12 October and November–December
Four 19- and 20-year-old outdoor education students — Tom Irvine, Nik Murray, Ben Barrett and Jack Eales — are taking gumboots well beyond their usual habitat.
The group will walk, bike and packraft more than 300km across the South Island as part of Project Gumboot, raising money for I Am Hope and challenging the stigma around mental health.
Before that, on 11–12 October, they will take on a 24-hour challenge around One NZ Stadium, walking continuously from midday to midday.
Their larger South Island expedition will run for more than 10 days between mid-November and mid-December.
HOPE IN EVERY STEP
Wellington to Auckland | 18–24 October
A team of runners, coming over from Australia, will cover 756km over seven days, travelling from Wellington to I Am Hope’s Auckland headquarters.
The route takes them through Palmerston North, Taihape, Turangi, Rotorua, Hamilton and South Auckland, with planned school and community stops along the way.
The aim is bigger than the run itself — bringing people together, encouraging conversations around mental health and reminding young people that asking for help is a sign of strength.
BRING THE GUMBOOT THROW WORLD RECORD HOME
The Trusts Arena, Auckland | Friday 6 November (Gumboot Friday)
Finland has held both the men’s and women’s gumboot-throwing world records for 30 years. This Gumboot Friday, I Am Hope is bringing together some serious throwing talent to try to bring them home to Aotearoa.
The current records stand at 63.98m for men and 40.87m for women.
Confirmed athletes include two-time Olympian and Oceania hammer record holder Lauren Bruce, Olympic decathlete and Commonwealth silver medallist Brent Newdick, Commonwealth Games hammer thrower Anthony Barmes, two-time New Zealand javelin champion Alex Wood, and Paris 2024 Olympic kayaker Hamish Legarth; a formidable mix of power, technique and competitive spirit, all turning their talents to the cause. Other familiar Kiwi faces having a crack include Mike King, actors Fleur Saville (Shortland Street) and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (Predator: Badlands, The Panthers) and award-winning Rapper/songwriter Kings.
It’s a highly unique and specific sporting challenge, with a very serious purpose behind it: raising money and starting conversations about young people’s mental health.
Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeN648IDTnG/
CYCLE AOTEAROA FOR HOPE
Cape Reinga to Bluff | 1–18 November
Good friends Talia Berry and Amara Jones are taking on the length of Aotearoa by bike, starting at Cape Reinga on 1 November and finishing in Bluff on 18 November.
The pair are taking on the physical and mental challenge to raise awareness and funds for I Am Hope, with stops along the way providing opportunities to meet communities and share why youth mental health matters to them.
Their journey will continue through Gumboot Friday itself, bringing the message of hope and support to communities from the top of the country to the bottom.
LIFT FOR HOPE
Auckland | 7 November
Snap Fitness McCarthy Group is also raising funds for I Am Hope through Lift for Hope, a lifting competition bringing its fitness community together to raise money while encouraging conversations about mental wellbeing.
The event will take place on 7 November, from 9am to 1pm, at Snap Fitness Avondale, 2 Jomac Place, Avondale.
DUNEDIN’S CARPARK COMMUNITY
Dunedin | Every Weekend
For the past six years, former Cadbury staff and supporters known locally as the Carpark Community have turned regular fundraising into a much-loved community tradition, spearheaded by the indomitable Megan Fairley, better known as the ‘Chocolate Queen’.
They have raised $90,765 for I Am Hope, part of $128,893 raised across several causes.
The fundraising grew from the Cadbury Dunedin closure period and continued through years of personal loss within the wider Cadbury whānau.
Their story is a powerful example of what can happen when a community keeps showing up for each other — week after week, year after year.
ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME
Auckland | Daily
Auckland radio host Aidan Shirtcliff, 25, is taking a different approach to fundraising.
He is aiming to raise $10,000 for I Am Hope simply by talking about mental health every day — and he’s already raised an incredible $6,000 just by starting conversations.
Having experienced the support of I Am Hope in his own life, Aidan is using his podcast and social channels to keep conversations going and help make talking about mental health feel more normal.
Together, these stories show what Gumboot Friday has become: a national day that can look completely different from one community to the next, but comes back to the same thing — helping young people get the support they need.
Mike King says the goal this year is simple.
“We want to see gumboots everywhere.
“We want the country to have a bit of fun, but we also want people to understand what they’re helping to make possible.
“There are kids out there who need someone to talk to. There are parents who don’t know where to turn. There are young people carrying stuff they haven’t told anyone about yet.
“Gumboot Friday gives New Zealand a way to do something about it.
“170,000 sessions is 170,000 times our kids were heard. I think about the kid sitting in that counselling room. That’s who we’re doing this for.”
Gumboot Friday takes place Friday 6 November 2026.
To find out more or get involved, visit https://www.gumbootfriday.com/.