Big business names like Sky founder and entrepreneur Craig Heatley, fashion designer Dame Trelise Cooper, 42 Below founder Geoff Ross and Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon are auctioning their time and business nous on Trade Me to benefit the ChildFund charity.

Twelve business leaders are lending their support, with others including Cadbury managing director Alistair de Raadt, ASB CEO Barbara Chapman, Coca-Cola New Zealand general manager Paul Fitzgerald, Beca managing director Don Lyon, The Warehouse CEO Mark Powell and Colmar Brunton CEO Jacqueline Ireland.

Proceeds from the winning bids will go to ChildFund’s Livelihoods appeal in Sri Lanks, which provides micro loans and business mentoring to families living in extreme poverty.

The project is being implemented for 3000 families, all fully funded by New Zealanders. It involves 26 communities and is designed to be self-sustaining, with the long-term goal to create family business initiatives with the potential to expand and continue to benefit a whole community.

De Raadt is a ChildFund New Zealand board member and encourages others leading roles to be generous in sharing knowledge with emerging leaders.

“If any of my experiences can be of value to others then I’m happy to share them; simple as that. We should all be the same,” says de Raadt.

Ireland says she’s a firm believer in supporting startups. “Passion will take you a long way, but working with someone who has experienced the ups and downs of running a business is so valuable and saves a lot of wasted time and effort,” she says.