The Every Dog Has Its Day auction will be raising money for the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) Guide Dog Services, organised by Bayleys, the charity's principal sponsor.
Among the items included in the auction - which aims to raise $500,000 - are domestic holiday and leisure packages, sporting goods and memorabilia, electrical and household appliances, jewellery, artwork and clothing.
Bayleys manager Mike Bayley said many of the items would be listed with a $1 reserve, making the auction catalogue affordable.
Items sourced by Bayleys Queenstown included a Heli Thunder combo for two passengers, including a scenic flight with Heli Tours and a one-hour jet-boat trip with Thunder Jet; a weekend in Queenstown staying at the Sofitel with a trip for two on Dart River Safaris and a pampering treatment at Hush Spa; 10 dozen Bluff oysters; a Lord of the Rings 4WD trip; and a trip for two to Stewart Island with two nights' accommodation, departing from Bluff.
Mr Bayley said Bayleys staff had been working "tirelessly" on the ambitious fundraising campaign for the past four months - motivated by the desire to support Guide Dog Services and simultaneously to be part of one of the "biggest and cutest online auctions ever co-ordinated in New Zealand".
"... if a job's worth doing then it's worth doing well in all respects and with such an outstanding cause to benefit from the proceeds, it was easy to motivate not only our staff, but also to persuade hundreds of small businesses and individuals throughout New Zealand to contribute a huge array of auction items.
"On that note, I'd like to publicly thank all those companies and individuals who supplied their goods and services.
"Without their generosity and support, this whole fantastic exercise would not have been possible," Mr Bayley said.
Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind chief executive Sandra Budd said the auction would be a wonderful opportunity to raise essential funds for the Guide Dog Services programme through the expected tens of thousands of bids.
Bayleys has been principal sponsor of the Guide Dog Services since 2004, generating $2 million for the organisation already, which has provided 85 trained puppies.
The Every Dog Has Its Day auction on sella.co.nz runs from tomorrow until March 8.
