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Firefighters from throughout Franklin suited up in full kit to race up to the top of the Sky Tower recently in a bid to rustle up money for charity.
No walk in the park, the annual event sees firefighters climbing the tower complete with gear including oxygen tanks and masks weighing in at an extra 25 extra kilogrammes.
The Patumahoe Volunteer Fire Brigade was ranked in the top 10 in terms of the amount raised for Blood Cancer NZ, the best result from the Franklin region, with more than $42,000.
Due to a neurological condition, the brigade’s Harley Baker was unable to make the climb himself this year, but he still managed to raise the highest individual total of more than $30,000. He says he’s determined to tackle the tower again in 2027.
“This was our fourth Sky Tower climb,” he says. “The day was very special – brigades from across New Zealand came together with 1100 firefighters converging to climb the tower. Everything we raised nationwide went to Blood Cancer NZ.”
During the last four years, the brigade has raised almost a quarter of a million dollars through the initiative with Baker responsible for just under $150,000 of this.
This is not the first climb for Baker’s brigade this year alone. As reported, in March these local firefighters took on the 24-Hour Stair Climb Marathon at Pak’n Save Pukekohe. Each of them climbing for their own reasons, Baker said at the time.
“Some do it for a personal challenge, some climb for people they know and some climb for loved ones who have either passed or who are living legends today.”
While blood cancer awareness is a cause close to many people’s hearts, it has additional significance for Baker. His wife, Bonnie, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014. Supporting her through chemotherapy was harrowing.
“Every three months she had five litres of chemo pumped in. It was a rough journey, just horrible,” he says.
Living in Patumahoe, the fire brigade was the first responder when Bonnie needed them most, Baker recalls.
“Without our fire brigade, I would have been on my own during that time and Bonnie might not be here. That was my call to join the fire brigade. It was a way I could give back to someone else who may be in the darkest part of their lives, like we were when they turned up for Bonnie.”
While Baker and the Patumahoe brigade topped the tables for Franklin this year, many others contributed to a 2026 total of almost $250,000. Click here for full results, or to donate.
