AFP reports the funds will be donated to the Fred Hollows Foundation, which operates blindness-prevention programs in the Solomon Islands.
“I was very surprised it got to that…but I am delighted,” Key said when the auction closed Sunday.
Key broke his arm in two places when he fell at a function in Auckland on Jan. 17.
During a later trip to Papua New Guinea for a Pacific Islands Forum meeting, which included a stopover in the Solomon Islands, the cast was signed by several dignitaries.
At the suggestion of officers working with the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, Key agreed to auction the cast to raise money for the foundation.
“The money raised from the sale of Key’s cast will go towards funding two surgical outreach visits to remote parts of the Solomons this year,” the foundation said in a statement. “During the last two surgical visits Fred Hollows eye doctors saw 440 people and restored the sight of nearly 100 people.”
There are an estimated 5,000 blind people in the Solomon Islands, mainly needing cataract surgery. A further 15,000 suffered poor vision from cataracts and needed glasses.
