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Graeme Dingle Foundation Bay of Plenty

Teen Brylee Comer used to be so shy, even ordering food from a restaurant was daunting. “I couldn’t go up and talk to strangers and the idea of public speaking was my worst nightmare. My shyness was affecting my day-to-day life.” Now, the teen is a changed person. Comer, 18, is looking forward to studying a Bachelor of Business in Wellington, runs the Gay Straight Alliance at her school, and even recently emceed an event in front of hundreds of people. “I’ve completely come out of my ...

Understanding Our Community to Shape Our Future

Acorn Foundation, TECT, BayTrust and Tauranga City Council are teaming up to carry out a new research project that looks at the geographic communities in Tauranga: who is in them, and what are their needs, wants and aspirations for their neighbourhood and the wider city.The research, called ‘Vital Update – Tauranga’, is a community check-up that measures the well-being of communities and identifies significant trends in a range of areas critical to quality of life.  Tauranga Mayor Ten...

Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service

There’s nothing quite like the sand between your toes, the sun on your back and the surf beneath your feet. We are lucky that, here in the Western Bay, we have pristine beaches like Mount Maunganui to enjoy our summer days out on the water or relaxing by the shore. And looking out for our safety, while we enjoy our beach days, is the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service. The Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service has protected the local beaches and Mauao for more than 90 years; patrolling the stretch...

St John

Every one of us at some point in life will need, or know someone who needs, help from the St John Ambulance. Their life-saving service responds quickly to accidents and emergencies, ensuring our loved ones come home safe. Whether it’s a car crash or life-threatening incident such as a heart attack or stroke, the St John Ambulance Service in Tauranga is there to help, treating and transporting approximately 20,000 people a year. St John also provide many other vital services in our community s...

TECT Community Awards Launched

The new TECT Community Awards have now been officially launched.  These awards will be a celebration of individuals and groups who contribute to making the Western Bay of Plenty one of the greatest places to live. TECT Chairperson Bill Holland says the awards have been established to showcase the generosity of skills and spirit that happens in our sub-region. “Through the application process for TECT funding, we get to see and hear about good, interesting and exciting initiatives and prog...

Good Neighbour

We all want to be a good neighbour; whether it’s a friendly wave across the street or keeping a spare door key on hand, looking out for each other is all part of living in a community. Good Neighbour Aotearoa Trust have devised a way for Tauranga locals to be the ultimate good neighbour by providing practical opportunities to support one another. Whether its distributing 2 tonnes of rescued food daily to local community groups, delivering firewood to those in need, carrying out backyard proje...

Brain Injured Children Trust

It’s something every parent wants. No preference for a boy or a girl, just that their baby is healthy and happy. For many parents around New Zealand, it’s an unexpected and anguish-ridden reality that their child is born with or sustains from an accident a brain injury or severe developmental delay. Having a child with a disability is a life-long journey, one that can often feel like a battle. Families experience immense stress, anxiety and oftentimes guilt; wanting the best for their child...

Community Conservation Boosted Thanks to TECT Support

Penguins, kiwi’s, forests, weta’s and frogs are just some of the beneficiaries of a fantastic boost to community conservation, thanks to TECT. TECT have just approved a funding application to the collective sum of $300,000 over two years, across eight community conservation groups. “We’re delighted to see how much Bay Conservation Alliance (BCA) have grown in the year since their launch and are happy to announce we have just approved a new collaborative funding application which BCA play...

LiteClub

We all need to do our bit for the environment. Whether it’s recycling, using reusable bags, or switching to LED lightbulbs; every small step makes a difference. One place that has lots of lightbulbs for lighting and rubbish for recycling is your local sports club. It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you head out to play golf or tennis, but the everyday running costs for electricity, water and waste quickly add up, leaving less money going towards what matters most – sport...

Coastguard Eastern Region

As an island nation, our seas provide ample opportunity to swim, play, go boating and participate in water sports. These are all part of the quintessential Kiwi lifestyle. However, with this fun comes an increased risk of accidents and unpredictable conditions. Coastguard's mission is to ‘save lives at sea’ and they do so by responding quickly to emergencies on the water; ensuring our loved ones come home safe. Funding and Volunteers Keep Our Community Safe Coastguard provides the primary ma...

Tauranga CBD Tertiary Campus

Living in the Western Bay of Plenty, we are lucky to have beautiful beaches, a relaxed lifestyle, and year-round blue skies. It’s no wonder why Tauranga is one of the fastest growing regions in New Zealand. With that growth comes a new journey for Tauranga. Soon our city will also be known for its thriving CBD, vibrant social and cultural scene and world-class university study, all thanks to the opening of the new tertiary campus. The University of Waikato Tauranga CBD campus, which officially...

Tauranga Art Gallery

Each year over 11,000 school children visit the Tauranga Art Gallery Toi Tauranga as part of the public art programme supported by TECT. During their visit, the children spend time in an exhibition with a trained educator that then inspires them to create their own artwork in The Gallery’s education classroom. Sparking Interest and Innovation Through Art ‘The arts’ is one of the eight key learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum. The art programme delivered by The Gallery supports the ...

Citizens Advice Bureau

We may be in the information age where answers seem to be just a quick Google search away, but that isn’t stopping people across the Western Bay turning to Citizens Advice Bureau Tauranga (CABT) for information and support. And there’s a good reason why. While the internet is a powerful tool, there’s nothing quite like a friendly face, an understanding ear, and some personalised guidance when dealing with a daunting problem. No Question Too Big or Small Citizens Advice Bureau Tauranga has...

Wairoa River Bridge Cycleway Underway

Work has started on the Wairoa River Bridge cycleway which will complete the final link in the Omokoroa to Tauranga cycle trail.Contractor Brian Perry Civil Limited has set up its construction base on site to attach the 177-metre steel cycleway to the downstream side of the Wairoa Bridge on SH2.Western Bay of Plenty District Council Deputy Chief Executive Gary Allis says the cycle bridge will be completed before Christmas.“This will be the final link of the Omokoroa to Tauranga cycleway and gi...

Tauranga City Basketball

A successful hosting bid saw Tauranga City Basketball bring one of the games in a 3-games series of the Tall Black’s vs South Korea to Tauranga in July 2014. TECT funding contributed toward the cost of hosting Korean players in Tauranga, venue hire costs and providing the thousands of local basketball players and fans an opportunity to see our national men’s basketball team in action. The action-packed game created a fun and exciting atmosphere, and the win by the Tall Blacks’ to...

Bay Oval

With the sound of leather on willow, the roar of the crowd, and the energetic commentary over the mic—there’s nothing quite like a game of cricket to bring people together. Here in the Western Bay we are lucky to have an international cricket venue that is a focal point for both cricket lovers and players alike. The Bay Oval at Blake Park, Mount Maunganui stands today as a premiere venue, ready for its first test match this year. But it has come a long way to make it to this exciting po...

Baywave TECT Aquatic & Leisure Centre

Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise you can take up. It not only works on all the main muscles in the body providing an excellent workout, but is a valuable life skill that can save lives. In 2005, the Baywave TECT Aquatic & Leisure Centre opened to the public, and since then has become a key facility in the Western Bay for thousands to enjoy its many benefits. As the region’s largest swimming pool complex, Baywave draws in over 230,000 visitors ever year. Featuring a 25m pool, leis...

Ngamuwahine Outdoor Education Lodge

Fostering a love of the outdoors is easy when you live in a region like the Western Bay. Making it that much easier is the Ngamuwahine Outdoor Education Lodge. With facilities that focus on educating children on all aspects of the natural environment, while developing confidence, tolerance and perseverance, outdoor pursuits at the Lodge include a high ropes course, abseiling, mountain biking, kayaking, archery, orienteering, target shooting, paintball, tramping and environmental and bush studies...

Tauranga Community Housing Trust

Tauranga Community Housing Trust work to improve access to quality, sustainable housing for people with low incomes, unmet housing needs, and special disability access housing.   They provide a facilitation service developing housing solutions for individuals and families by advocating for and implementing new housing models to meet current and future communityneeds.  A $300,000 donation from TECT contributed immensely to the construction of a 14-unit block of affordable housing u...

TEDxTauranga

What happens when you bring over 700 people, life-changing stories and live entertainment together in one room? Inspiration, education and fascination are just a few things that come out of such an event, and TEDxTauranga 2019 sure did not disappoint. Ideas Worth Spreading TED is a non-profit devoted to the philosophy of 'ideas worth spreading' through short, powerful talks. What began in 1984 as talks coverings topics related to 'Technology, Entertainment and Design' soon expanded with its grow...

National Jazz Festival

Each year over Easter weekend, the streets of Tauranga come alive with the sound of jazz. Smooth, soulful, lively… it’s a sound hard to describe in words but is brought to life during the National Jazz Festival. Home-grown in Tauranga, the festival is truly a highlight in the city’s calendar of events. TECT was delighted to continue it's 11-year partnership with the Tauranga Jazz Society, with a grant of $65,000 ensuring an exciting mix of events would wow Western Bay residents and vi...

Ronald McDonald House

We've all heard of Ronald McDonald House. Their Houses provide a ‘home-away-from-home’, offering families a safe haven to retreat to after a long day on the ward. Established in 1989, Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand supports over 4,000 families throughout New Zealand each year. Last year, 219 families from Tauranga and the Western Bay travelled to Auckland Ronald McDonald Houses. With a total of almost 1,400 nights of accommodation needed throughout the ...

House of Science

Concoctions, creations and creepy crawlies galore… science sure does sound fun, especially to kids naturally full of curiosity.  Maintaining that curiosity however is no simple task – especially with a lack of funding and support in primary and intermediate schools for science. House of Science Tauranga aim to change that. The not-for-profit provides science resources to primary schools, education programmes to children aged 5 to 13, and professional development for teachers - ens...

Multicultural Tauranga

New Zealand is a country full of Kiwis; Kiwis from all over the Americas, Africa, Europe, Oceania and Asia. Our diversity is what makes our country so great to live in. Ensuring the many migrants that call Tauranga home feel welcomed, settled and recognised in our community is Multicultural Tauranga.The non-profit organisation aims to promote cultural diversity and harmony, helping migrants feel at home in Tauranga through settlement support services, language classes, newcomer coffee mornings, ...

SociaLink

In 2017, TECT approved multi-year  funding towards SociaLink's service delivery and operating costs.  SociaLink, an umbrella organisation that supports the social sector, aims to facilitate collaboration, support organisational development, offer mentoring programmes and undertake research to help identify needs and gaps in the community. With a rapidly expanding population in the Western Bay of Plenty, the social service sector has been experiencing an ever-increasing demand for its s...