ABOUT US
The Tauawhitia Trust is flexible and listens to ideas and the funding needs people have.
We work to match donors with those in need and welcome discussions on how the Trust can help communities increase participation in physical activities.
Contact us to talk about how to address participation challenges and pull together funding from different sources to achieve results.
The Trust is built around four core beliefs:
Physical activity is key to healthy lifestyles, can be fun, empowering, welcoming, family-friendly and inclusive.
New Zealanders across all ages, abilities and sectors can join in and benefit from community-led activities.
We believe that communities can recognise their own needs and their specific barriers to participation. The best solutions can often be delivered locally and targeted to needs that may not be met by traditional funding sources.
Within communities people are willing to donate time and money, but often lack the mechanisms to do so. The Tauawhitia Trust was formed to make it easy for people within a community to donate and combine funds and for event organisers to request funding for specific needs.
The purpose of Tauawhitia Trust is to:
Promote physical activity and community involvement
Advance and support children, young people and their families in New Zealand to facilitate involvement in their communities through participation in physically active and healthy lifestyle activities
Advance and support charitable community and voluntary organisations in New Zealand
Encourage and promote charitable giving in New Zealand.
As a registered charity, donations to the Tauawhitia Trust receive a tax credit.
Trustee Profiles
Paul Gordon
I am now retired and keen to give back to all those who have provided their time and energy to organising and running the sporting events I have enjoyed over many years. In my younger years I participated in Coast to Coast events, and really enjoy trail running. In my professional life I was is an experienced IT and sourcing consultant with many years running complex programmes that were subject to very high levels of probity review and external oversight. I enjoy physical activity and am committed to helping break down barriers to participation and increase community engagement.
Brent Foster
My name is Brent Foster. I've been into and around sport and recreation since my days at school where I played every sport going and ran and swam every race at sport days. Since then sport & fitness has continued to play a very important part of my life.
I run on a regular basis to keep fit. What started as a weekly 5k parkrun 11 years ago has now turned into competing in anything up to ultra marathons, along with exploring many of Wellingtons off road trails. Running and walking has taken over my life. And that's not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned.
Being involved in helping communities realise their own fitness journey's makes me really proud. Everyone should have the opportunity to partake in some form of exercise, whether it be running, participating in team sports or simply getting fit on your own by taking a walk around the block. Whatever it takes Tauawhitia Trust can help with that journey.
I currently act as the Treasurer for Hutt Repertory Theatre and heavily involved in the set building process at the theatre. I have also previously acted as a Trustee and Treasurer for The Marist Community Development Trust, a trust involved in assisting Secondary School students in Lower Hutt.
Vatau Sagaga
Vatau runs Ulalei Wainuiomata Sport, a small sports club in Wainuiomata which focuses on tamariki playing touch football, tag football and football in local competitions. Ulalei ran the first football competition for all of Wainuiomata’s primary schools last summer; and two football fun days for Maori and Pasifika tamariki to promote the beautiful game in those communities. The club will add kilikiti (Samoan cricket) to their offerings next summer.
Vatau started his parkrun journey at Maidstone parkrun in the garden county of Kent in the United Kingdom in 2013. He has now amassed over 380 parkruns across three countries and loves that he has had many of his extended family enjoy the parkrun environment.
Vatau has written 23 parkrun reports which include his goal to have more pasifika joining parkrun; and also reviews the 22 different parkrun events he has run.
Vatau is a lawyer at Te Tari Taiwhenua (Department of Internal Affairs), is married to Mel and have three tamaiti together.