Donald said the bank’s Dream Big New Zealand campaign was really appreciated by Uawa.
It was great to see a rugby club from a smaller, rural province benefiting from the programme in an era of professional rugby, he said.
“I’m rapt to be here. It’s good to come to Uawa.”
Donald said he had never been to Tolaga Bay before. He had played once in Ruatoria “many years ago” for his original union of Counties against East Coast.
“It’s a beautiful spot. I enjoyed the drive up from Gisborne, with the beaches.”
Great things for the clubUawa were also presented with 120 footballs and kicking tees, one for each junior rugby player, new tackle bags, and a new scrum machine for the senior team to replace the rustic relic disintegrating in a corner of the field.
Uawa supporter Phil Whyte said great things were happening at the club.
The rugby club had made the East Coast semi-finals while the sub-union had won the Barry Cup, symbol of sub-union supremacy in East Coast, Poverty Bay and Wairoa, and had defended the cup three times.
The scoreboard still shows the 31-3 score from the last successful defence against Ngatapa.
Mr Whyte said Darryl Crawford, chairman of Uawa Sports Club and Uawa JAB — who made the original application to ANZ — had made a wonderful contribution to the club.
Melissa Booth, representing the bank, said Mr Crawford was ‘‘doing amazing things’’.
“He is also banning sugary drinks, limiting the hours that the bar is open and serving only healthy food.”
Laura McGoldrick, another ANZ ambassador, was also present.
The television sports personality said it was great to see amateur sport being supported away from the metropolitan centres.
Donald, who missed Waikato’s successful Ranfurly Shield challenge against Hawke’s Bay on Friday night with a hamstring injury, said he had since spoken to some of his jubilant team mates.
They had had obviously been partying hard.
“I don’t know if they were speaking English,” he said.
