Inside the charity behind Matamata’s failed muscle car draw

Monday, 13 July 2026

At least one trustee of the charity behind a cancelled Matamata muscle car draw is no stranger to high-profile rescue fundraising.

Shaan Hulena, one of three trustees of NZ Rescue Charitable Trust, has previously held senior fundraising roles with the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust.

NZ Rescue Charitable Trust ran the Key to Communities Shelby Promotion, which offered people the chance to win one of three Shelby GT350 vehicles by buying a $100 Key to Communities keyring.

The draw was promoted as a fundraiser for Matamata’s Pohlen Hospital, but was cancelled on June 5, the day it was due to take place, after the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) began investigating the promotion following complaints from the public.

The promotion was advertised as having a maximum of 20,000 keyrings available, and had the potential to raise up to $2 million however, the actual number of keyrings sold, and the total amount raised, has not been confirmed.

The DIA has 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 department 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 Waikato Times has contacted more than a dozen people who bought keyrings as part of the Shelby promotion - all said they had not received one.

An email sent by NZ Rescue to one purchaser in May stated its Key to Communities keyrings had sold out, and there would be a delay while more stock was sourced.

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

NZ Rescue later said the promotion had been formally cancelled because of “developments outside the control of NZ Rescue”.

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

But what is NZ Rescue, and who is behind the operation?

NZ Rescue’s structure extends beyond the registered charity with NZ Companies Register records showing Hulena, and fellow trustee Sandra Ratcliffe are also directors and shareholders of several private companies associated with NZ Rescue’s fundraising brands.

NZ Rescue Charitable Trust was registered in July 2024, and the Charities Register lists its trustees as Jeffrey Nother, Sandra Ratcliffe and Hulena.

The Waikato Times has approached NZ Rescue for comment by phone and email on multiple occasions but has received no response.

The trust’s registered purposes include supporting health and healthcare initiatives, education, training, sport participation, other charitable bodies and community wellbeing.

The Charities Register lists the trust’s street address as 116 Symonds Street in Auckland - a heritage listed building called Metropolis Museum.

NZ Rescue’s website says it supports communities through health, education, sport and wellbeing initiatives, including through its Key to Communities and Hooked on Communities campaigns.

Those campaigns have been used in other promotions listed online by NZ Rescue and associated websites.

NZ Rescue’s website has promoted a Key to Communities draw offering an Audi RS6 and Audi RS3 while supporting the Coromandel Rescue Helicopter, with purchases of limited-edition Key to Communities products giving entries into a prize draw.

The website said every $10 Key to Communities print purchased included one entry into that promotion draw.

A separate Coromandel Rescue Helicopter Trust lottery website lists both Coromandel Rescue Helicopter Trust and NZ Rescue Charitable Trust, saying the organisations were “working together to support emergency service providers throughout the Coromandel region”.

That site lists previous lottery results for a New Age caravan and Land Rover Defender, won by Wayne from Auckland, and a JB Motorhome, won by Pete from Whitianga.

A past-promotions page on NZ Rescue’s website also lists winners for an Audi RS6 and Audi RS3, an Audi RS Q8, a VW Tayron and Stabicraft boat package, two Stabicraft boats, a Yamaha jetski, a Rolex Explorer watch and vouchers.

NZ Rescue’s website also sells Key to Communities and Hooked on Communities products, including digital print bundles and pendants.

The Hooked on Communities page says purchases support local initiatives aimed at building community resilience and coordinated regional outcomes.

Companies Register records show Ratcliffe and Hulena are directors and shareholders of NZ Rescue Limited, The Key to Communities Limited, Hooked on Communities Limited and Communities for People Limited.

NZ Rescue Limited was incorporated in September 2024, about two months after NZ Rescue Charitable Trust was registered.

Companies Register records list Ratcliffe and Hulena as the company’s directors and shareholders, and its business classification is “fund raising … on a commission or fee basis”.

The Key to Communities Limited was incorporated in November 2025 with Ratcliffe and Hulena listed as directors and shareholders.

Hooked on Communities Limited was also incorporated in November 2025, with Ratcliffe and Hulena listed as its directors and shareholders of that company as well.

Companies Register records list its registered office and address for service as the same street address listed for NZ Rescue Charitable Trust on the Charities Register.

Communities for People Limited was incorporated in February 2025, with Ratcliffe and Hulena listed as directors and shareholders of that company.

The Waikato Times is not suggesting those companies were involved in the cancelled Shelby promotion.

What role, if any, NZ Rescue Limited, The Key to Communities Limited, Hooked on Communities Limited or Communities for People Limited had in the promotion has not been confirmed.

It has also not been confirmed whether any of those companies received money from the promotion, whether they were contracted by NZ Rescue Charitable Trust, or whether they had any role in managing payments, marketing, merchandise, administration or promotion costs.

NZ Rescue’s cancellation statement said any proceeds remaining from the Shelby promotion, after refunds and promotion-related costs, would be directed towards Pohlen Hospital.

It has not publicly confirmed what those promotion-related costs were, who received them, how many keyrings were sold, or how much money was raised.