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Otumoetai Te Puna Pony Club

Times have been tough on the Otumoetai Te Puna Pony Club in recent years. In 2018 the club suffered a devastating flood when the Wairoa River burst its banks, causing their grounds to be destroyed, much of their equipment to be damaged and eight horses fighting for their lives.   More recently, the siting of the new Tauranga to Otumoetai cycleway adjacent to the club has made their grounds easier to see and access, leading to many acts of theft, vandalism and break-ins.   Sarah Rice is...

Sport Bay of Plenty - Healthy Active Learning

Ten Western Bay of Plenty primary and intermediate schools are soon to experience a boost to their healthy active learning thanks to a $365k investment from TECT over three years. Healthy Active Learning is a joint government initiative between Sport New Zealand and the Ministries of Health and Education to improve the wellbeing of tamariki through quality physical activity and healthy eating and drinking. The TECT investment will support Sport Bay of Plenty’s expansion of the initiative in...

Homes of Hope

For some children, coming to Homes of Hope is the first time in their short lives they have felt enough safety to begin to play freely. They come from backgrounds of trauma, suffering from abuse and neglect. This abuse and neglect can have a serious impact on their development and can lead to mental health problems, learning problems, youth suicide, behavioural problems, alcohol and drug use, and homelessness. But Homes of Hope provides a place for these children to recover from their trauma.&nb...

Ōtūmoetai Primary School

Ōtūmoetai Primary School held the official opening of its new playground, featuring basket swings and a flying fox, on Friday afternoon. Student leaders, the kapa haka, and the school's senior management team were all in attendance, alongside TECT Trustee Peter Blackwell who spoke of TECT's contribution to the project and cut the opening ribbon. After formalities were over, children quickly jumped onto the new playground equipment to give it its first playtime. And there was plenty of play to ...

SPELD New Zealand

From the moment Ali Fullick's son Callum started school, she saw his thirst for life and his outgoing personality diminish. "I would pick him up from school, and his face would be like thunder. He would come home angry, frustrated and would not share the reason why with me," says Ali. "As a mother, I would let him have downtime, something to eat and then I would ask him to join me at the table to do his home learning before dinner. Well, that was when the battle started at home. He would sit the...

Sailability Tauranga

For 43-year-old Dennis Young, living with Left Hemiparesis can have its challenges. “I am paralysed down the left-hand side of my body; it affects my walk, I can’t run as fast, I can’t stretch my left arm out, and I haven’t got as good a grip on that side either.” But that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his passion for sailing and giving back to other sailors with disabilities by volunteering at Sailability Tauranga. Dennis joined Sailability Tauranga when it was first establishe...

Te Puna Quarry Park

Volunteers at Te Puna Quarry Park are feeling a great sense of relief and reassurance now a new security system has been installed following a series of thefts. The volunteer-run park, which is open year-round and is free for the public to visit, sees thousands of visitors come to explore its many gardens with special planting areas, outdoor art, walking tracks and bush area. But a major theft in 2018 left the park committee and volunteers shaken, when $40,000 of equipment was stolen from their ...

Te Haka a Toi - Kapahaka Regionals

The Te Haka a Toi - Mataatua me Tākitimu ki Tauranga Secondary School Regional Kapahaka was held last Friday, seeing thousands flock to the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre to connect and be inspired by powerful performances. 12 school teams from across the Bay of Plenty took the stage to perform to see who would qualify to compete at the National Secondary Schools Kapahaka, which will be held in 2022 at Auckland’s Spark Arena. The qualifying teams that will represent Mataatua me Tākitimu ki Ta...

Indian Ink

It was a weekend filled with laughs, wonder and intrigue at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre, with over 800 people gathering to watch Indian Ink’s powerful play ‘Paradise or the Impermanence Ice Cream’. As audiences settled into their seats and hushed darkness took over the theatre, Kutisar (Jacob Rajan) is lit up on stage as he wakes in purgatory. Baffled by his surroundings, he is soon confronted by a vulture looking for its next meal, and is transported back to his 20s to learn why he...

Storytime Foundation

Storytime was a treasured time in many of our childhoods. Memories spent with family exploring new worlds and discovering different words not only opened our minds to the wonders of reading, but was a precious bonding experience. Research shows that there are a myriad of positive effects and long-lasting benefits of reading to babies and young children. The more often children are read to, the more likely they are to do better at school, not just in reading, but in language, numeracy, and compr...

Tahatai Coast School

A new school playground at Tahatai Coast School has been a big hit with students and the wider Papamoa community, thanks to significant student input and funding from TECT. The playground, which was completed in December 2020, features slides, poles, balance ropes, surfboard spring rockers, rock walls, nets, basket swings and more. Matt Skilton, Tahatai Coast School Principal, says the project started with initial designs which were then discussed with student councillors. “The student counc...

COLAB

A new housing solution service in Te Puke is helping facilitate housing options and support sustainable tenancies in the area. The Te Puke Housing Solutions Service provides a linkage, brokerage, and advocacy service, including general advice on any housing and tenancy matters. A clinic is held twice a week for people to call or drop by for assistance. Specific services include assisting with tenancy applications, support to access the Accommodation Supplement, support to establish or maintain ...

Kidz Need Dadz

It's an exciting time in life becoming a new dad. But it can also be a daunting one, with the family dynamic changing forever. But what is well known is that from early pregnancy through to the first parenting months, an involved father can support many practical and emotional needs of both mother and child. Kidz Need Dadz is a charity working to strengthen families by supporting and educating dads on the importance of being involved in their children's lives.  A new focus for the charity...

TECT comment on Trustpower Retail Business sale

Trustpower has today announced the conditional sale of its gas, telecommunications, and retail electricity supply business to Mercury NZ Limited for $441 million. This follows Trustpower’s announcement in January that it was undertaking a strategic review, including a possible sale of its retail business. As a result, it was necessary for TECT to update its structure, in order to protect the status of its existing beneficiaries in the event of a sale. TECT Chairman Bill Holland says the conf...

Institute of Directors

It takes a lot to run a business, and not-for-profit (NFP) organisations are no different. But much of what keeps things running isn't just the day-to-day operations, but the governance happening behind the scenes. Governance in NFPs is increasingly important. Facing more competition and stakeholder scrutiny, their long-term sustainability depends on good governance. Good governance helps NFP organisations improve performance, have a defined vision of their future, ensures there is accountabili...

Junior Tough Guy and Gal Challenge

It’s muddy, it’s challenging, and it’s a whole lot of fun. The Tauranga Junior Tough Guy and Gal Challenge was held yesterday at Baypark, with over 750 primary and intermediate school students taking part. The event sees children take on an extreme cross-country where they are mentally and physically challenged with a muddy obstacle course consisting of swamp crossings, a spider’s web net climb, crawl under obstacles, beautiful native bush trails, tunnels, hurdles, a climbing frame, and ...

Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust

It’s been an exciting week for students at Pyes Pa School. A delivery of 27 plants has arrived as a reward for their recycling efforts – all part of the Paper4Trees programme they have been involved in since 2002. Students Finn Paton, Tyler Carroll and Harry Davies are tasked with planting the small flax (harakeke) in their playground. Full of energy and much enthusiasm, they put on their gumboots, grab their shovels and pull a small trolley filled with the plants over to their new home. Py...

YWAM Ships Aotearoa

It's the first time in a long time that Kevin Mikaere has had his teeth examined. As a small self-employed commercial fisherman, his business has had to come first over his health and wellbeing. But after 18 months of tooth pain, Kevin has come to the YWAM Trinity Koha Dental Clinic, located at Whaioranga Trust in Welcome Bay, for an assessment. "My business is only small, so every bit of money I had I found the business needed it, and being the way dentistry is, quite expensive, I tho...

Katikati Taiao

Leaving school can be a daunting experience for any young person. But for some, lack of confidence and skills, poor public transport, and a feeling of disconnect from the community leaves them feeling lost and unsure of where to turn to. In Katikati, there are an estimated 250 young people aged 16-24 years not in education, training or employment. A new role in the Katikati community is working to get that number down to zero, supporting young people’s wellbeing and guiding them on a pathway t...

Parafed Bay of Plenty

For many, there is opportunity around every corner to join any sport, climb any mountain, or take a dip in the sea on any whim. But for those living with a physical disability, the possibilities may not seem so endless. Lack of accessible facilities, limited accessible transportation, and barriers around vision and mobility leave physically disabled people with fewer options to keep active and have fun. Regional sports organisation Parafed Bay of Plenty is working to create more possibilities fo...

$2.3 million in TECT funding approved for community groups

It's been a big month for TECT funding, with the local trust approving around $2.3 million in grants towards a wide range of facilities and initiatives in our region. From a pontoon and playground equipment to a new surf rescue base and multipurpose sports facility, TECT Chairperson Bill Holland says the funding impacts every corner of the community. "It has been one of our largest funding rounds with numerous grants for community facilities and projects of regional significance being approved. ...

Road Safety Education

We see it in the news almost daily. Accidents, injuries and deaths on our roads are a significant issue, one exacerbated by an ever-increasing number of vehicles and the many regional state highways and rural roads in our region. But for young people, there is an even greater risk. Getting behind the wheel of a car as a young driver or being a young passenger with a novice driver is said to be the most dangerous thing that a person will do in their life. There are many reasons for this. For you...

University of Waikato Tauranga campus thriving despite challenging year

The University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus was officially opened in early 2019. Two years on, and through an exceptionally difficult year with Covid-19, it continues to experience growth across all areas of its development, including campus, students and staff. The Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust met this month to receive its annual report from the University of Waikato. The Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust is made up of the three key funders of the Tauranga campus developm...

SociaLink - Community Insights Lab

Data. It can make eyes glaze over, mouths yawn, and minds go into a spin.  But a new initiative is helping the social sector realise just how powerful a tool it can be in opening up a world of insight and opportunities. The Community Insights Lab (CIL) has been developed by SociaLink over the past year, aiming to help community groups build the confidence and skills they need to make the most of the data available to them. SociaLink is the umbrella organisation supporting the social and com...

Online support service makes asking for help easier

An online social and wellbeing support service launched in Hamilton during Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown will soon be coming to the Western Bay of Plenty. 'Here to help u' enables people to access a wide range of free support by submitting one help request online. Assistance is available across various areas, including food parcels, prepared meals, collection of items service, general local support, mental health support, and safe social connection. The service works with a simple three-step pr...