Super Saturday Vaxathon: Prizes, celebrity appearances and performances announced for telethon-style broadcast
Taika Waititi, Suzy Cato and the Briscoes Lady are just some of the famous faces who will appear on the Super Saturday Vaxathon this weekend, which will feature live crosses from around Aotearoa and offer a huge range of prizes for those getting vaccinated and watching at home. With an aim to help boost the country's COVID-19 vaccination numbers, the Vaxathon will take place at 12pm on October 16, streaming live on Three, Māori television, TV2, Hahana and Channel 200. There will be prizes to be won from NZ businesses like Mitre 10, Contiki, ASB, Vodafone, The Warehouse, ANZ, Rhythm and Vines, Countdown, with many more signing on by the hour. Here's everything you need to know about the who, what, where and why of the Vaxathon:
What's the purpose of the Vaxathon?
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Getting people vaccinated
Helping people to help their friends and whānau get vaccinated
And celebrating the regions with the biggest change in vaccination numbers
The Vaxathon will showcase what everyone is doing to overcome COVID-19 and celebrate the places with the biggest shifts in vaccine numbers.
What's cool about the Vaxathon?
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Content created by and for Māori and Pasifika
There is a strong focus on positive vaccination stories
There will be live performances by local talent across the motu
The broadcast will cross live to a number of locations across Aotearoa throughout the day including Ōtara, Manurewa, Rotorua, Porirua, Ōtautahi and Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
What prizes are up for grabs during the Vaxathon?
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NZ businesses have been beyond generous in donating prizes for the Vaxathon
There will be opportunities for everyone getting vaccinated to win prizes
The prizes aren't just for those getting vaccinated, there will be giveaways online as well for those watching from home
There will be prizes from The Warehouse, Placemakers, BurgerFuel, R&V, The Travel Corporation (Contiki), Foodstuffs, Vodafone, Precinct Properties, Aesop, Mitre 10, Weta Workshops, ASB, ANZ, Rod Drury, Contact Energy, Countdown, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Goodman Property, Jarden, Kiwibank, Meridian, Fulton Hogan, and Christchurch Airport with more being confirmed every hour.
Who is appearing on the Vaxathon?
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Patrick Gower and Sonny Ngatai will be live presenting from Te Whanganui-a-Tara with more of Aotearoa's talent coming to you live from other regions around the motu.
There will also be appearances from Taika Waititi, Louis Baker, Dr Ashley, The All Blacks, Black Ferns, TJ Perenara, Hollie Smith, Lucy Lawless, Madeleine Sami, Toni Street, Suzy Cato, Megan Alatini, Ana Corbett, the Shortland Street Cast, Tammy Wells (The Briscoes Lady), Shannon Paku and plenty more.
Stay tuned on Saturday to find out who the rest are!
How can I watch the Vaxathon?
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On Saturday the Vaxathon will be streaming live on Three, Māori television, TV2, Hahana and Channel 200 from 12pm
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Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.5% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.7% Critical thinking
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30.1% Resilience and adaptability
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2.7% Other - I will share below!
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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