A 10-year-old Wellington boy is selling a pair of signed Adidas rugby boots signed by Beauden Barrett to raise money for Australia's fire-stricken koalas.
Riley Dickey says he got them two years ago, and they've "sat on my bedroom rugby memorabilia display ever since".
"After hearing about the fires in Australia, and the amount of animals that have been killed I decided I would like to raise money by auctioning these boots, and donating all the money raised to the 'Help Save The Koala Fund' which is being run by the World Wild Life Fund," he wrote in an auction on Trade Me.
"You will not only be receiving a pair of signed Adidas Rugby boots worn by Beauden Barrett, the world rugby player of the year two years in a row, but you will also be helping support urgent and vital veterinary care across Australia, helping provide wildlife food and water for those animals who are starving in bushfire impacted regions, helping perform rapid assessments of fire impacted areas, and helping restore what has been lost once the fires stop."
Barrett, who helped the All Blacks win the World Cup in 2015, has confirmed the boots are legit.
"I know how much these boots mean to you," he wrote on Instagram. "Good on you Riley."
Photos on Trade Me and Instagram prove just how big a fan Riley is of both rugby and koalas.
"My dream is to be as good as @beaudenbarrett," his Instagram profile reads.
It's estimated as many as 38,000 koalas may have lost thier lives in Australia's ongoing bushfires.
As of Sunday afternoon, bidding had reached $1500. The auction expires on Tuesday morning.
