LGBT young people's organisation Rainbow Youth is "ecstatic" with gay TV presenter Tamati Coffey's dancing win last night, which was seen by almost a third of NZ's population.
"Fans of Tamati and Samantha and other GLBTTQFI community members watched and were stuck to the edge of their seats till the final few minutes," explains Rainbow Youth's Executive Director Thomas Hamilton.
"We were ecstatic when Tamati and Samantha were announced to be the winners of the competition for 2009."
A statement from TVNZ this morning estimates the Dancing with the Stars final attracted over 1.2 million viewers – that's 30% of New Zealand's population.
Acknowledging his charity in his winning speech, Coffey said: "we did it all for Rainbow Youth. This was for gays all around New Zealand."
"How big can thank you get?" smiles Hamilton today. "Tamati Coffey and Samantha Hitchcock we thank you for all the work that has gone into achieving this goal to win the final.
"We understand as your chosen charity your spirit and passion and we pledge to continue your efforts through our work educating all youth to know who they are and be who they are."
The Rainbow Youth website has been swamped with visitors keen to find out more about the charity, and inquiries into the Rainbow Youth Centre on K' Road have increased hugely since the show began, notes Hamilton.
"We've not yet been made aware of any details to do with the funds raised through the event and as soon as information is available we aim to inform the community of our intended use of the funds," he adds.
Rainbow Youth acknowledges the support of the Gay Auckland Business Association, The Langham Hotel, Staging Connections, GayNZ.com, Kola, Beaver Brown, Steven Oates, Caluzzi and Urge for their help putting together last night's celebration.
