Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa is pleased to announce its partnership with Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu to provide a new $850,000 Government fund called Te Kīwai.  

The fund will provide direct financial support for tamariki and rangatahi Māori throughout the South Island who are experiencing financial hardship and missing out on physical activity opportunities.   

Like the recently announced Active Me – Kia Tū fund with Variety, Te Kīwai is the name given to the second individual Hardship Fund initiative that is part of Sport NZ’s Recovery Package.  

The Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson joined Helen Leahy, Pouārahi/Chief Executive Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, and Raelene Castle, Chief Executive Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa, at Te Pā o Rākaihautū Kura in Ōtautahi, Christchurch this morning to launch the new fund.    

Te Kīwai Fund will provide up to $300 per child per year to help pay for new equipment, registration fees, shoes or uniforms, and other costs that could be a barrier to being physically active.  

“We are excited by the new partnership with Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu. It is a first for Sport NZ to align with a Whānau ora commissioning agency in a way that will achieve mutual benefits for both partners and more importantly for tamariki and rangatahi Māori,” said Raelene Castle.  

“Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu is thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to respond to the call from whānau, for support for their tamariki and mokopuna to be able to engage in sports and recreation, fitness and kapa haka,” said Helen Leahy, Chief Executive Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu.  

“This is the first time in our funding history that we have been able to invest so directly in the aspirations and ambitions of individual whānau members around tinana, hauora, toi ora. We are very proud to work alongside of Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa to serve whānau in such a significant way”, said Helen.  

The fund is a two-year pilot and will be evaluated to assess the viability of the initiative and whether it can be extended in future years. It will also help inform future policy on how to further reduce participation barriers for tamariki and rangatahi Māori.