Gala 2026 a wonderful night

27/03/2026

What a night! The Foundation would like to thank everyone who joined us last Friday at this year's Otago Medical Research Foundation Gala. The evening was a wonderful success, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.

Guests enjoyed fantastic entertainment from Jonathan Usher and Hilary Barry, with Jonathan even making Hilary “appear” on stage!  Isaia Piho and Karyn Paringatai shared a powerful reminder of how medical research has helped many in their whānau.

Our live and silent auctions generated enthusiastic bidding across all 37 items, with our wonderful auctioneer Rob Fowler getting the crowd going during the live auction.

LA Social had the crowd up dancing for the rest of the night. While the final figure is still being confirmed, we are delighted that the auctions and donations raised over $62,000 towards life-saving medical research in Otago.



PHOTOS
You can view photos from the evening at https://www.seenindunedin.co.nz/galleries/omrf-2026-gala/index.html. Many thanks to Chris Sullivan from Seen in Dunedin for getting these photos on his website so quickly.



FEEDBACK
Your feedback will help to shape next year's Gala. We'd appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete a short survey - https://forms.office.com/r/fupSyg6Vsq



THANK YOU
We hope you saw the thank you advertisement in the Otago Daily Times this morning. However, we must pay special mention to our wonderful Gala sponsors again. 

  • Silver Sponsors: Anderson Lloyd and Gallagher Insurance

 

  • Bronze Sponsors: Division of Health Sciences, LJ Hooker Dunedin and Bottle-O Hillside and Mosgiel

 

  • Supporting Sponsors: Firebrand, Forsyth Barr, LA Social, MediaWorks, Misha's Vineyard, Quartz Reef, Strawberry Sound, Otago Daily Times, Pub Charity Limited, Scenic Hotel Dunedin City

 

  • Prize Sponsors: Marsden Lake Resort, Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa, John Toomer, Sam Foley, Michelle Chalklin-Sinclair, Odelle Morshuis, Scenic Suites Queenstown, Cooke Howlison BMW, Altitude Tours, Riverstone Kitchen, Highlands Motorsport Park, Quartz Reef, NZ Cricket, The Highlanders, Jonathan Usher, Gilmour Motors, Misha’s Vineyard, ANZ, Jodie McSkimming Fuzion Travel, Wildlife Hospital Dunedin, Clearwater Wildlife Tours, Larnach Castle, Two Paddocks, Fiordland Discovery, Angus Collis, Fable Dunedin, Speights, Ewan McDougall, Precinct Food and Catering, Sandymount Distillery, Challenge Marketing, Noisy Brewery, Mitre 10 MEGA, Monarch Wildlife Tours, Estelle Flowers, Les Mills Dunedin, Shotover Jet, The Swan, The Perc, Geoff Williams, Paris Sinclair, St Clair Golf Club, Rialto Cinemas, Zaibatsu Hair Art Dunedin, Otago Daily Times, Floatfix, Cardrona Distillery, Craig Dodd Building Surveying, Bowl Line.

 

We are already looking to lock in a date early for next year's Gala, so watch this space. If you would like to express your interest for a table, tickets or to become a sponsor for the 2027 Gala, please contact Tracey on 021 030 4900 or [email protected]