Battle of the Media Giants....

Jono Huntley is a man not afraid to stare down a challenge.

He wanted to participate in Fight for Christchurch when it first begun,

but first he had to do battle with Cancer.

Now two years cancer free, he is ready to take on another challenge,

he is going to fight Paul Frewen from Vodofone in November

in an epic battle of the media giants: Spark versus Vodofone!!

Jono is a friendly man who is passionate about his family,

in fact you say that he lives for them.

He also love working for Spark, being part of a team

is hugely important to him.

He likes to win, but he likes to give back too.

Since experiencing cancer, he has been volunteering with Canteen

and is inspired by how resilient the kids are when facing adversity.

His chosen charity is Ronald McDonald House

because he understands how important it is for families to be together

when they are going through traumatic times.

He has lots of plans for fundraising and is excited to have

his colleagues at Spark support him.

Don't forget to show your support to Jono by donating at his givealittle page here.

Larger than life - Geoff and Chris...

Chris Casserley and Geoff Cavell have signed up to beat the s*** out of each other come November. However any aggression between these two begins and ends there! The best of mates, these two are both big men with even bigger hearts. The loveliest of guys, both of them have lived through the toughest of times but they talk about their experiences with humour and humility. Both of them have faced challenges in their private and public lives that are staggering. Geoff lost his business in the earthquakes, twice; and Chris lost his in a devastating fire.

Getting them to talk was easy, they could probably talk for hours about their dreams and ambitions. They are passionate about the hospitality industry, and deeply involved in every aspect of it. They love the people, the stories and the sense of community they are able to build while doing something that they love.

Funny enough, the Fight for Christchurch is a chance for these two to find some balance in their lives, to get some exercise, lose some weight and to refocus on what is important. Chris and Geoff are both training 5-6 days a week, no slacking about!

However getting fit is only a part of their motivation. Both of them are absolutely passionate about raising funds for Cure Kids. Their Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BEHAG) is to raise an eye-watering $100,000 for cure kids, yes that is not a typo, they fully plan to raise One Hundred Thousand Dollars for Cure Kids.

If you pop over to Facebook and like their page, Battle of the Century, you will be able to keep up with their fundraising plans. They are planning a masquerade ball at the Grand Cafe on 11 October and a music gig at Winnie Bagoes on 7 November. Other events including a massive auction are also planned for 15 November.

Chris and Geoff are excited about giving back and they are fully committed to this adventure. You can help them reach their BEHAG by clicking on their givealittle page to make a donation. The gala event that is Fight for Christchurch is really not to be missed, don't forget to get your tickets here and support these two big hearted men.

Introducing.... Lana McCarroll

Lana is a fun bubbly person with a big smile and sparkly eyes.

She doesn't look nearly old enough to have kids, let alone parent five of them!!

Definitely a super woman but with her feet firmly on the ground;

she works full time, runs a household and coaches marching in her spare time.

Lana is one of those people that don't really like talking about themselves,

but she is going to have to get used to it

because she has signed up to box in the next Fight for Christchurch.

She describes the opportunity as "the chance of a lifetime"

and simply buzzes with excitement when she talks about it.

When I asked her about her motivation to do this,

she talked passionately about the chance to fund raise for a cause

close to her heart. As a parent, she can only imagine having a child seriously ill

and is pleased to be able to commit to raising funds for Ronald McDonald house.

Lana works at Lane Neave Lawyers doing property transactions.

She loves doing a job where you get to help people

find their way smoothly through one of the biggest transactions of their lives

and enjoys being able to work towards making this as smooth 

as possible for them.

Lana enjoys having fun and being in the great outdoors.

(She's planning on getting married next year in Arthurs Pass)

but in the meantime she is at the gym everyday in her lunch break

getting read for the fight of her life!

To support Lana's fundraising effort, go to her

givealittle page and make a donation.

Behind the scenes [Justin Wallace]

Putting together an event like Fight for Christchurch takes a lot of commitment and passion. If you get a chance to talk to Justin, you find a guy who loves to orchestrate an event.  It might sound like a cliche, but you will find a humble man who dreams big dreams. Managing events runs in Justin's blood and he has been dreaming up ideas and running with them since he was a teenager.

Justin started running boxing events from Cowles Stadium in 2010. At a low point in his life, he saw an opportunity and decided take a risk and run with it. It was a tremendous challenge to sell the idea to the people of Christchurch, but Justin was determined and with the support of his family he managed to get sponsors and boxers on board. 

The events that Justin organises have gained momentum over the last five years. In a city that has lost so much to the earthquakes, it has become even more important to the citizens of Christchurch to be able to go out and partake of a glamorous event.  Justin makes sure that all the little details add up to create an atmosphere and the wow factor that mark the Fight for Christchurch and the Battle of the Rebuild boxing events. 

Passionate about boxing and Rugby league, Justin can talk for hours about the sport he loves. His office space is cluttered with sporting artifacts. It is no accident that Justin runs sporting events, it combines his two loves: sports and event management!

Since the very first event in April 2010 the events have helped raise $819,597.00 for the Christchurch community. This incredible achievement has been driven by one man but supported by the community. Justin's drive and passion has enabled him to give a voice to others. By getting ordinary every day people the opportunity to train, fundraise and fight, they find within themselves strength they didn't know they had. The chance to box in a Fight for Christchurch, or Battle of the Rebuild event is life changing.

Justin has big dreams for sporting events in Christchurch. Get him talking about it and his eyes sparkle! Seeing as he has achieved so much in such a short time, it is entirely probable that his dreams will come true. This is great news for Christchurch as we head into the biggest rebuild that New Zealand has seen, it is events like this that add heart to the community and some much needed pizzazz to a city that definitely needs it.

The next Fight for Christchurch event is on 22 November and preparation is well underway for this. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram and read this blog to continue following the developments.

Hello and Welcome

Welcome to the Enth Degree blog. 

Enth Degree is an event company and the company behind the successful Fight for Christchurch and Battle of the Rebuild Charity Boxing Events. Established in 2010 it had the goal to bring a high quality boxing events targeted at the Corporate market to Christchurch. The company had its first event the Fight for Youth Charity Boxing Event in April 2010 and from that point on has had explosive growth and a strong reputation for putting on top class night of entertainment and boxing action.

Yes boxing is the main event but that is only part of the show. We put on events that entertain. From the moment our guest arrive they know they at something special with the element of a surprise. 

Here on the blog we plan to tell you the stories behind the people involved, giving you a glimpse into their day jobs, their every day lives and their inspirations.