The Academy is presenting twenty-three commemorative spades, each decorated by an artist, on behalf of Ronald McDonald House. These spades were used to break the ground on which the new Ronald McDonald house - a house to really meet the needs of sick children and their families - will be built.

Please go online, between the 3rd and 12th and February and bid on a spade of your choice. Every dollar raised will help Ronald McDonald build that new house.

A range of artists have lovingly left their mark on a spade, and 'art' ranges from the more whimsical to the more highly finished.

Artists, left to right: Brendon Nolan, Dennis and Diane Burns and Alan Weihipeiana: Spades for Life

Michael McCormack: Spade for Life.