Let's Wear Yellow for Harold

Students and teachers dressed in yellow outside Life Education mobile classroom

Students, schools and businesses across Aotearoa will go yellow on Friday 19 June for Wear Yellow for Harold, Life Education’s national fundraising day.
Held close to World Giraffe Day on 21 June, the campaign invites tamariki, workplaces and communities to dress in yellow or giraffe-themed outfits, donate a gold coin, and help bring Life Education’s health and wellbeing programmes to schools nationwide.

From dress-up days and yellow bake sales to workplace morning teas and community activities, Wear Yellow for Harold is a simple, visible and genuinely impactful way to support tamariki and rangatahi. Funds raised help deliver programmes that build confidence, resilience, relationships and positive decision-making skills.

In 2025, Life Education’s Healthy Harold programme reached more than 220,000 children at 1,286 schools, from Kaitaia to Bluff. Here’s the part many people don’t realise: Life Education receives no direct government funding. The lessons delivered in schools, including through its mobile classrooms, are only possible because of community support.

“Wear Yellow for Harold is a great example of how communities can have real impact when they come together for tamariki,” says Jo Malcolm-Black, Chief Executive, Life Education Trust NZ. “Every gold coin, every workplace morning tea, every school dress-up day helps keep Life Education supporting teachers and schools across Aotearoa. Our expert teachers are reaching young people across Aotearoa with learning that supports their wellbeing, confidence and ability to make positive choices. We rely on your support. Community fundraising is not an extra for Life Education; it is what makes this work possible.”

While Wear Yellow for Harold is a nationwide fun and vibrant day, its impact remains local. Funds raised stay with each local Life Education Trust, directly supporting programmes delivered to tamariki in schools. Wear Yellow for Harold began in 2022 and has grown into an annual national campaign, strengthening community connections while supporting the ongoing delivery of Life Education programmes. Students dressed in yellow hug Harold the giraffe mascot

“It’s not just about wearing yellow,” says Jo Malcolm-Black. “It’s about showing our young people that their community stands behind them.”

Donations can be made at: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/wear-yellow-for-harold