Big Heart Day 2026

Support the Heart Foundation's Big Heart Appeal and hold a Big Heart Day anytime in February 2026 at your early learning service.

A Big Heart Day is a fun day when tamariki, whānau and staff come together to raise awareness about keeping our hearts healthy to prevent heart disease.

Simply choose any day (or a whole week!) in February to hold your Big Heart Day, where everyone gets involved to learn about healthy hearts and raise funds for life-saving heart research.

How to get involved

There are heaps of fun ways to hold your own Big Heart Day fundraiser.

Your centre could:

Share healthy kai, get the tamariki to help make healthy red food. Get creative and try colouring food such as spaghetti with beetroot juice
Yoga, meditation or exercise class
Hold a disco to get everyone’s hearts pumping
Dress in red day
Explore the human body and learn where the heart is.

Win a visit from Hearty

If you host a Big Heart Day, your service could win a visit from Hearty.

To enter, email us:

The category you’re entering (choose from the list below)
Your early learning service name
Photos of your Big Heart Day and a brief description of how your service represented the category.

Email your entries to: bigheartday@heartfoundation.org.nz by 31 March 2026.

Win a visit from Hearty terms and conditions

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Terms and conditions for the Win a visit from Hearty competition

This competition will run for the period 1 February 2026 to 31 March 2026 (the 'Promotional Period').  
The competition is only open to New Zealand Early Learning Services who register to hold a Big Heart Day between 1 February to 31 March 2026. 
To enter the competition, entrants must email a photo of their Big Heart Day event to bigheartday@heartfoundation.org.nz during the months of February and March. Only one entry per Early Learning Service is permitted.
No purchase or fee is required to enter the competition.
The prize is a visit from the Heart Foundation mascot, Hearty, to the winning early learning service (The Prize). Winners can specify their chosen date and time to redeem their prize.  
Entry into the competition is deemed to be acceptance of these terms and conditions.
Heart Foundation staff members and their families are not eligible to enter the competition.
The prize winner will be drawn by the Heart Foundation by random selection from all the valid entries on 10 April 2026. The Heart Foundation's decision is final.
The winner will be notified in mid-April 2026 by the Heart Foundation via the contact details on record used to enter the competition.
The Heart Foundation is not liable for any loss, damage or injury by any person in connection with the competition or the prize.
The prize is not transferable or redeemable for cash.
This competition is run by the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand, 9 Kalmia Street, Ellerslie, Auckland, 1051.