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Tamati Coffey and Samantha Hitchcock on Dancing with the Stars - Source: ONE News -
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Rainbow Youth has been presented with a cheque just shy of $260,000 as the winning charity in this year's Dancing With The Stars .
The organisation provides support, information advocacy and education for gay and lesbian young people and their families.
TV ONE's Breakfast weather presenter Tamati Coffey and his dancing partner Samantha Hitchcock wowed viewers with their routines on the show , while raising money for the charity.
Coffey tells tvnz.co.nz that he is "proud and humbled by the amount of money that they managed to raise for Rainbow Youth, a charity dedicated to helping young people find a place to belong".
"The amount that has been raised for Rainbow Youth shows me a few things," he says.
"Firstly, that New Zealand loves Dancing With The Stars, secondly that the country was highly entertained by all mine and Samantha's dances, and three, that this country that we call paradise has come a long long way and is a whole lot more tolerant than it was, once upon a time."
Rainbow Youth's executive director Thomas Hamilton is stunned at the amount raised, and is promising to make every cent count.
Provisional amounts show that $433,053.81 in total was raised for a number of charities this year on the show.
The money was raised through audience text voting.
Dancing With The Stars, now in its fifth year, has raised more than $1.75 million for New Zealand charities.
Money raised
Rainbow Youth - $259,990.79 (Tamati Coffey)
UpsideDowns Education Trust- $99,009.02 (Barbara Kendall)
Koru Care Otago - $37,276.01 (Josh Kronfeld)
Arthritis New Zealand - $24,795.53 (Geraldine Brophy)
New Zealand Spinal Trust - $6,664.74 (Rebecca Hobbs)
Ronald McDonald House - $3,256.69 (Chris Hobbs)
Project Hope Foundation -$1,425.81 (John Rowles)
Go Red For Women - $635.22 (Lizzy Igasan)
