TECT Talk - Welcome

When I decided to run for TECT in 2016, I had never really considered the impact $7,000,000 of grants makes to our community. My focus was using my background and experience in accountancy to ensure the trust had the expertise and skills it needed around the board table to secure this fund for future generations.

What the other trustees and myself didn’t realise was I would have 2 children during my 4-year term on the TECT board. And during those 4 years I would learn more than I could ever imagine about the transformational effect TECT is having in our community and its day-to-day touch in my personal life.

If you have young children, you will know your weekends are full of trying to keep them engaged and busy, hoping to wear them out for long enough so everyone can take a break. You will usually find our family at many facilities TECT has contributed to in some form, whether it's tumble time at the Trustpower Arena, a rugby game at Tauranga Domain, the Papamoa Swimming Club facilities, Gordon Spratt Reserve bike park, the Hairy Maclary statues at Tauranga waterfront, Our Place events, a cricket match at Bay Oval, Papamoa Tennis Club or the Papamoa Toy Library—just to name a few.

My family and I live in Papamoa and are regulars at the beach. We see the Papamoa lifeguards patrolling the beach and my children attend Beach Kids down in front of the Papamoa Surf Saving Club. I am extremely proud the Papamoa Surf Club is finally able to undertake the build of their new facility with the support of TECT. I look forward to my children joining little nippers with the hope they will become lifeguards and contribute to our community by keeping us safe on our beaches.

TECT is also an on-going supporter of Plunket.  Myself and my children have received support from Plunket and are proud of the wonderful work it is doing by providing the best start to life for our children in the Western Bay of Plenty.

I am potentially biased when I say I was very happy St John received $2,034,000 from TECT towards their upgraded facility, especially when my son had to be transported to Tauranga hospital in an ambulance suffering an accident at school. St John is such a vital service in our community and the funding they received meant they could continue to expand and facilitate future growth to meet our growing city’s demands.

From my perspective as a business owner we are already seeing the benefits of the University of Waikato gaining traction, which TECT funded with its largest ever grant of $15 million. We are starting to see more students applying and taking up opportunities to work with our business.  We talk of children as being ‘the future’—well having this facility is just the start of the ongoing opportunities students will bring to our region.

Over my 4 years with TECT, I have realised TECT really is at the heart of our community. As trustees we have a responsibility to secure this fund and maximise the net benefit to the community so that future generations can continue to prosper. If you haven’t already, please take the time to see how TECT enriches your family’s lives.

Personally, I can’t think of better place to live.

Best wishes,

Amanda Sutcliffe
TECT Trustee