Lighting Up Purple for World Prematurity Day
We have an amazing record number of landmarks and buildings across Aotearoa to shine bright in purple this World Prematurity Day, 17 November. They’ll stand alongside international icons like the Empire State Building, the Trevi Fountain, and Niagara Falls — all raising awareness for the 13.4 million babies born too soon each year.
This will be the eighth year New Zealand has joined the global Lighting Up Purple campaign — and once again, we’ll be leading the way. As the first country in the world to see the sun, New Zealand kicks off the wave of purple light that travels across the globe.
Below you’ll find a list of sites across Aotearoa who will be Lighting Up for World Prematurity Day 2025. All sites are lighting up for the week 17th-23rd Nov, unless otherwise specified.
Arrowtown Museum
Ashburton Clock Tower
Auckland: Eden Park (17th Nov only)
Auckland: PWC Tower
Auckland: Westfield Newmarket
Auckland: Harbour Bridge and Te Ara Whiti The Lightpath
Blenheim Clock Tower
Castle Point Lighthouse
Christchurch: Airport terminal and control tower
Christchurch: Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Christchurch: Botanic Gardens
Christchurch: Bridge of Remembrance
Christchurch: Fan Fare sculpture
Christchurch: New Brighton Pier
Christchurch: Vaka a Hina sculpture
Christchurch: Cpt Scott Plaza
Christchurch: Bowker Fountain
Christchurch: Ferrier Fountain
Dunedin: Otago Boys High
Dunedin: Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (17th Nov only)
Dunedin: Tuhura Otago Museum
Dunedin: Otago University Clock Tower
Dunedin: Speights Brewery Bridge
Foxton Water Tower
Gisborne Clock Tower
Hanmer Spring: Hot pools areas and water slide
Hawera: Hawera Water Tower
Invercargill: Gala Street Fountain
Napier: Tom Parker Fountain (17th Nov only)
Nelson: Clock Tower
Nelson: Nelson Cathedral
Nelson: Trafalgar Street Bridge
New Plymouth: Clock Tower
Oamaru: Craigs Fountain
Otago: State Highway 1 Southern Motorway Riselaw Road bridge (Lookout Point)
Palmerston North Clock Tower (17th Nov only)
Queenstown: Airport terminal (inside)
Rotorua: Redwoods Tree Walk Horoeka Lantern
Rotorua: i-site visitor centre clock tower, Council buildings, Arches at Government Garden
Rotorua: Skyline luge tunnels
Rotorua: Sky Swing towers
Tauranga: Wharf St Lights
Tauranga: Tunks reserve
Tauranga: Masonic Park
Tauranga: Waterfront playground
Tauranga: The Waterfront – Park North
Upper Hutt: Fantail sculpture
Wanaka: Puzzling World towers and bridge
Wellington: Cable Car (17th and 18th Nov)
Wellington: Queens Wharf sails
Wellington: Waterfront lightpoles – Wellington Waterfront
Wellington: Michael Fowler Centre
Wellington East Girls College
Wellington: NTT Tower – Midland Park
Wellington Hospital – Childrens Hospital Bridge (17th Nov only)
Whanganui: Royal Whanganui Opera House (17th and 18th Nov)
Whanganui: Whanganui War Memorial Centre (17th and 18th Nov)
Whangarei: Victoria Canopy Bridge
Whangarei: Laurie Hill Park tree
Whangarei Airport Gate lights
If you live in any of these wonderful places and could take photos of the landmarks lit up in purple splendor and send to us, that would be fabulous! Please send photos to info@littlemiraclestrust.org.nz
You can also tag us in any social media posts and use the hashtags:
#worldprematurityday2025 #lightinguppurple #nicubaby #littlemiraclestrust
A full gallery of images from previous years can be seen here.
Thanks so much for sharing your personal story!
We get a lot of positive feedback from families in a neonatal unit who read these stories and feel strength, hope and positivity knowing that they are not alone going through these experiences and feeling certain emotions.
If you would like to discuss sharing the story of your neonatal journey, we’d love to hear from you.
Support Us
If you want to help our support of families going through the stress and anxiety of a neonatal journey, you can donate via the link below.
- The Little Miracles Trust provides support to families of premature or sick full-term babies as they make their journey through Neonatal Intensive Care, the transition home, and onwards. We do not receive any Government funding and are entirely reliant on the generosity of individuals, companies and organisations in the form of donations, value-in-kind donations, grants, sponsorship and fundraising events to supplement operating costs and fund our services and initiatives.
- As we are a registered charity (CC56619) with Charities Services New Zealand we will send you an IRD compliant tax receipt – this will happen automatically by return email.