Dancing With the Stars NZ raises almost half a million for charity

Dancing with the Stars New Zealand raised a record-breaking $499,286 for charity.

The jaw-dropping figure is a record high for the show in New Zealand, and it's all thanks to the Kiwi fans who showed their support by texting in their votes.

For the first time in the show's history, all four text service providers dropped their fees too.

The money raised is up $75,000 on the shows the previous season, and a whopping seven times more than 2015.

All the proceeds of the first week ($16,770) were donated to the Christchurch Our People Our City fund. 

The remaining cash was divided equally between each contestant's chosen charity.

"Again this show has hit the mark with New Zealand and more importantly we've managed to make more money for our chosen charities," said MediaWorks chief content officer Andrew Szusterman on Thursday.

"On behalf of the whole Dancing with the Stars cast and crew, thanks for making the show a success for everyone."

The 12 contestants and their chosen charities are below.

  • Manu Vatuvei (winner)- Kids Can
  • Laura Daniel (runner up) - Shine
  • Clinton Randell - Refresh
  • William Waiirua - The Attitude Trust for People with Disabilities
  • Nadia Lim - Garden to Table
  • Glen Osborne - The Women's Refuge
  • K'Lee McNabb - The Revolution Tour
  • Walter Neilands - Kidney Kids NZ
  • Mike McRoberts - Variety Bikes for Kids
  • Anna Wilcox - The Mental Health Foundation
  • Carolyn Taylor - Cure Kids
  • Jude Dobson - Plunket

Newshub.