Bay voters find some true Kiwi battlers | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

The Hawke's Bay winner of the Kiwi Battler competition will be announced this evening at the Hawke's Bay Opera House, but the evening promises even more from co-presenters Gareth and Joanne Morgan.

Mr Morgan, a philanthropist, fund manager and economist helped bankroll the launch of internet auction site Trade Me.

He received $47 million when Fairfax Media bought Trade Me in 2006 and set up the Morgan Foundation to give the money away.

He said the Kiwi Battler competition was very successful.

"It's gone off. Around 34,000 people voted nationally and 3000 in Hawke's Bay," he said.

"We found some really cool people, people you've never heard of. That's what I like about it."

The Morgan Foundation will donate $10,000 to tonight's winner's favourite charity and $1000 to the winner, who will go on to the national Kiwi Battler award.

The national winner will receive an additional $20,000 for their charity and $2000 for themselves.

Mr and Mrs Morgan will speak of their next big adventure, a return trip in an icebreaker to Antarctica and New Zealand's forgotten islands in the Southern Ocean.

They will share their images and experiences of their continued motorcycle travels in South America.

Mr Morgan will speak about the New Zealand economy and investment opportunities now residential property is not as attractive.

But it is the Kiwi Battler programme that Mr Morgan talks most excitedly about.

Kiwi Battler was inspired by a similar Morgan Foundation programme called Kiwi Heroes, that highlighted work New Zealanders were doing overseas.

"We found some unbelievable people, people like Judy and Ralph Duley from Taradale."

"They work with orphans in Western China. They found a 10-storied building crammed with orphans in pens.

"Persistence with the authorities paid off and they took six children and put them in a family unit. We're talking kids with some of the worst handicaps. Everyone has potential.

'So we thought, let's see if we can get these people revealed inside New Zealand as well."