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A charity auction built around a caddie's stories has delivered $56,500 for Hospice South — and the final tally isn't in yet.
The Cruise 4 Care event, held with legendary New Zealand caddie Steve Williams as its drawcard, drew a record 330 people — up from 220 last year — and set a new benchmark for the annual fundraiser. The $56,500 reflects auction bids on the night only. Ticket proceeds from all 330 attendees are still being counted.
It builds on a run that is becoming hard to ignore: $40,000 donated to Hospice South in 2024, $45,000 in 2025, and now this.
Williams, whose career took him inside the ropes alongside Tiger Woods and other leading players at the very top of world golf, spent the evening sharing stories from that life — plus his time in speedway and charity work. The kind of dinner-table access most sports fans never get.
The auction gave the crowd something to bid on: a chance to Walk 9 with Williams, a signed Lionel Messi top, a Richie McCaw-signed All Blacks jersey, a signed AC/DC guitar, a 2003 Team New Zealand America's Cup shirt, a Black Caps-signed cricket bat and a fully loaded Milwaukee tool cabinet, among other items.
Williams said he was glad to be part of it. "It was a great night and an incredibly generous crowd. I've been fortunate to have had some amazing experiences throughout my sporting career, so being able to share a few of those stories and help raise money for Hospice South made it very worthwhile."
"Hospice is one of those services that touches so many families and communities. It was fantastic to see people really get behind it."
Hospice South chief executive Pete Thompson did not undersell the result. "To see $56,500 in bids on the night from the auction alone is an incredible result, and we know there is still more to come once the final event total is calculated."
"To have Cruise 4 Care create an event of this calibre, Steve give his time so generously and 330 people turn up and get behind Hospice South is pretty extraordinary."
Thompson said the fundraising matters because the care Hospice South provides is free to patients — but delivering it is not. "Hospice care is free for the people who need it, but providing that care isn't free. We rely on our community to help bridge the gap between government funding and the actual cost of delivering our services."
"This is a wonderful example of people taking something they are passionate about, creating a fantastic experience around it and using it to do some real good. Our sincere thanks go to the entire Cruise 4 Care team, Steve, the sponsors, everyone who contributed auction items and every person who came along and supported the evening."
"We are incredibly fortunate to have a Southland community that gets behind Hospice the way it does, and that support makes a very real difference to the people and families we care for."
The event was supported by ILT, whose contribution helped make the evening viable and maximise returns for Hospice South.
Cruise 4 Care is not done for the year. The annual Cruise 4 Hospice Poker Run follows on November 21 — open to everyone and a fixture on the local calendar.
A confirmed fundraising total from the Williams evening will be released once all proceeds have been tallied.