ITI Articles

New Zealand Management Academies (NZMA) hospitality student Hong Fei Li gained celebrity-status after landing an $800 tip for delivering a couple of pizzas.

The part-time Pizza Hut delivery worker dropped off the pizza at a Mt Eden Church recently and, thanks to a generous congregation, walked away with a huge wad of cash. The church pastor told the congregation that pizza workers were often robbed, so it would be nice to do something for one of them. This “random act of kindness” saw the 900 church members dig deep into their pockets, handing over everything from coinage to $10 notes.

“Let’s give the guy the biggest tip he’s ever had,” Associate Pastor Phil Camden told the churchgoers. So they did.

The feel-good story attracted a flurry of media attention, making headlines in the New Zealand Herald and Li even appeared on national television on the popular Holmes show.

The 21-year-old from China puts his good fortune down to luck and perfect timing.

“It’s only because another customer cancelled an order that I got to make that particular delivery. It was an amazing coincidence and I’m very lucky,” says Li, who is currently working towards his National Certificate in Hospitality Management Level 5 at NZMA’s Auckland Central Academy.

After spending a portion of his windfall on ‘thank you chocolates’ for the church and a big cake for his fellow Pizza Hut workmates, Li deposited the rest in the bank. As a foreign student living and studying in New Zealand, the money is bound to come in handy.