Missing keyrings connected to cancelled Matamata Mustang draw

Wednesday, 8 July 2026

Three Shelby GT350 muscle cars, valued at $574,985, were offered as part of the promotion being run by NZ Rescue (keyring pictured is not the promotional keyring).

Undelivered keyrings sold as part of a cancelled Matamata muscle car promotion are at the centre of an Internal Affairs investigation into whether the promotion breached gambling laws.

Eight people who bought Key to Communities keyrings as part of NZ Rescue Charitable Trust’s Shelby GT350 promotion told Waikato Times they never received the keyrings they paid for.

The draw was promoted as a fundraiser for Matamata’s Pohlen Hospital, but was cancelled the day it was to take place after the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) began investigating the promotion after complaints from the public.

Matamata’s Pohlen Hospital was to be the recipient of NZ Rescue’s Key to Communities promotion.

The promotion offered the chance to win one of three Shelby GT350 cars by buying a $100 Key to Communities keyring - the value of which is also under scrutiny.

The department described the campaign as a “sales promotion”, which is regulated under the Gambling Act 2003, but does not require a licence if it meets the Act’s requirements.

The Act allows a chance-based prize draw to be attached to the sale of goods or services, and that those goods or services cannot be sold for more than their usual value, that all conditions of the promotion must be made clear before it begins, and businesses cannot make commercial gain from a sales promotion other than through normal trading.

The DIA’s acting director of gambling Ben Gamboni said “… the value of the keyrings forms part of the sales promotion currently being examined by the department”.

He said the investigation remains ongoing, and was unable to say when it would end.

The Waikato Times contacted eight people who bought keyrings as part of the promotion - none of them received keyrings - and as of Monday, two had received refunds.

They all said they believed they were buying a physical keyring as well as entry into the draw.

“The annoying part was just the lack of any explanation after cancelling the promotion on the morning of the live draw,” one said.

“If they had been upfront about what happened straight away I feel many ticket holders would have not been so angry.

“Unfortunately I think it’s damaged their credibility as a fundraiser.”

Waikato Times has seen an email sent by NZ Rescue to one purchaser, saying the keyrings had sold out, “due to an overwhelming and unprecedented level of demand”, and more were on the way.

“While this is certainly not bad news, it does mean that there is now a delay in delivery as we await our next shipment from the suppliers … and as soon as the next shipment arrives, your products will be dispatched.”

The email said the purchaser’s order, and their entry into the promotion’s draw, had been confirmed.

The promotion was advertised as having a maximum of 20,000 keyrings available, and had the potential to raise up to $2 million.

The actual number of keyrings sold, and the total amount raised, is not known.

The DIA is investigating several different issues, and has confirmed complaints raised concerns about the “structure and operation” of the promotion, including whether it complied with the Gambling Act, as well as matters relating to transparency, delivery of goods, refund processes and overall conduct.

The advertised prizes were three Shelby GT350 pony cars with listed retail values of $209,995, $199,995 and $164,995, for a combined value of $574,985.

The promotion closed on May 31 with the draw was advertised for 3pm on June 5 at Matamata Panelworks and Shelby NZ, the company which sourced and purchased the cars for the promotion.

That draw did not go ahead, and NZ Rescue later issued a statement saying the promotion had been formally cancelled.

“Following developments outside the control of NZ Rescue, we were unable to complete the sales promotion or conduct the prize draw associated with eligible product purchases made during the promotion period,” the statement said.

NZ Rescue said Matamata Panelworks, Shelby New Zealand and Pohlen Hospital were not involved in the decision to stop the promotion.

It said everyone who bought keyrings during the promotion would receive a full refund upon request, and any proceeds remaining would be directed towards Pohlen Hospital.

Pohlen Foundation Trust has said it was a nominated recipient of the promotion, but had no involvement in its organisation, administration or cancellation.

NZ Rescue Charitable Trust was registered in July 2024, and the Charities Register lists its officers as Jeffrey Francis Nother, Sandra Aileen Ratcliffe and Shaan Robert Hulena.