Seven Northland sporting bodies get grants from Foundation North

Work has begun on the new Kerikeri squash courts, which are being constructed with help of a $449,912 grant from Foundation North.

Northland sporting organisations have benefited from $4.5 million worth of grants from charity Foundation North.

The Foundation North board has approved seven grants ranging from $60,000 to $1.3m for Te Tai Tokerau’s sport and recreation organisations in its latest round of funding.

The largest grant, $1.3m, went to Kaikohe and Districts Sportsville to support the development of a comprehensive indoor sports facility at Lindvart Park, which will double as a community hub for the Kaikohe area.

“The building is being designed to make our community proud,” said Debbie Raphael, facilities co-ordinator at Kaikohe and Districts Sportsville.

The building will offer access to programmes and sports previously unavailable in Kaikohe. Kapa haka groups, holiday programmes, schools, tertiary institutes and regional event organisers are planning to use the space alongside sports groups, providing a multi-purpose asset to the community that will foster and uplift the wellbeing of those in the rohe.

Additionally, $900,000 has been granted to the Ruakākā Recreation Centre to upgrade and improve accessibility to sport and recreation facilities. The facilities will create welcoming, safe spaces to meet the diverse needs of the community and remove barriers preventing local taitamariki from engaging with sport and recreation.

“Equity in access to physical and mental wellbeing services needs to be close to those who need it,” said Christine Thirling of the Ruakākā Recreation Centre Committee.

And $800,000 has gone to the Tikipunga Association Football Club and will go towards the $4.8m upgrade to the club’s facilities. This project will be the first upgrade of the facilities since their construction in 1983. The club aims to provide modern facilities that meet the growing need.

Another $600,000 went to to the Pātua Outdoor Education and Recreation Trust (Poert) and will go towards upgrading outdoor education facilities. The funding will contribute toward the vision of implementing facilities that encourage access to outdoor education for tamariki of all abilities in the wake of the pandemic.

There’s also $500,000 over two years for Sport Northland’s operating and programme costs. This grant will contribute to their vision of ‘All Northlanders moving more for enhanced wellbeing’.

Kerikeri Squash Club got $449,912 to construct a four-court squash facility at the Kerikeri Sports Complex. In 2016, the Kerikeri squash courts were damaged by fire, leaving the community with no access to squash facilities. The courts will be multi-purpose to serve a range of recreational activities and programmes.

“This facility will expand on the Kerikeri Sports Complex’s offerings to the wider community with a sport that can be played all year round, night and day, by all ages for fun and fitness,” David Collins said on behalf of the Kerikeri Squash Club.

Northland Basketball got $60,000 toward operating costs. Northland Basketball is a fast-growing organisation; in 2022, 7,600 players competed in various competitions across the rohe.

“The support from Foundation North will allow Northland Basketball to continue to serve the communities of Tai Tokerau. Basketball has grown to be the biggest participation sport in Northland, and that was only ever made possible by partnering with awesome funding partners such as Foundation North to bring costs down for whānau,” said Josh Port, general manager of Northland Basketball.