Recreation Aotearoa are pleased to announce that 25 organisations around New Zealand have been awarded a share of the
$1.5M Outdoor Activity Fund.
The Outdoor Activity Fund aims to increase participation of rangatahi (young people) in outdoor recreation and connect
more rangatahi to their Māori culture through outdoor activity. Access to the outdoors is a special part of living in
Aotearoa but not everyone can take advantage of it. The fund seeks to support organisations to bridge that gap.
This is the fifth time the fund has been distributed to outdoor activity providers and is the first time that applicants
have been able to apply for multi-year projects (up to three years).
Recreation Aotearoa Outdoors Programme Manager, Kieran McKay, says, “Working with the fund has highlighted the
incredible work being done around Aotearoa for our young people through diverse programmes, and by people who are often
working within financial restraints. The amount of applicants for the fund has shown that the investment needed in our
sector is huge. A big thanks goes to Sport NZ for the financial commitment, to my wider team at Recreation Aotearoa for
supporting the bicultural kaupapa of this fund, and to our Tāngata Whenua (Māori) and Tāngata te Tiriti (non-Māori)
panels."
Highlighting Recreation Aotearoa’s journey as a Te Tiriti o Waitangi focused organisation and improving recreational
accessibility for Tāngata Whenua (Māori), this round of funding has seen more than 50% distributed to projects and
programmes targeted at engaging with Māori rangatahi.
Recreation Aotearoa Kaiarahi Tikanga Māori (Māori Cultural Advisor), Kuruho Wereta, says, “We took a double hulled approach to the evaluation process by engaging with two panels, one Tāngata Whenua (Māori) and one
Tāngata Te Tiriti (non-Māori). We also positioned rangatahi on each panel to honour the kaupapa of the fund, which is to
support rangatahi in engaging with the outdoors.”
“Through the programmes for Tāngata Whenua, we hope to shine light on Māori processes, practices, and values within the
outdoor recreation space. We look forward to watching these projects evolve and flourish.”The full list of successful applicants is below:Adventure Specialities TrustAhikaa AssociatesAurora CollegeDuke of Edinburgh’s Hillary AwardE Tipu E Rea Whānau ServicesFirst Step OutdoorsGraeme Dingle FoundationHawaiki KuraHillary OutdoorsIgnite SportLiving SpringsMangakino SchoolNgā Kura ā Iwi o AotearoaNgaa Taiohi o Te RangitaupiNZ Sailing TrustRaglan Rock AdventuresScouts AotearoaSt Therese SchoolToi TangataTe Toki Voyaging TrustTe Wharekura o ManaiaTuhourangi Tribal AuthorityWaka Abel TasmanWilderness Canoe TrustWORD – World Off-Road Riding Department
The Outdoor Activity Fund is managed and distributed by Recreation Aotearoa on behalf of Sport NZ.
For more information about what has been funded, visit the Recreation Aotearoa website.