Applications submitted to the Kauri Club, from talented young Northland sportspeople, saw 18 athletes from 13 sports codes receive scholarships and grants.

This is the first time the Kauri Club have given young athletes the opportunity to apply for a scholarship in the 19 years it has been operating. The scholarships are aimed at high performing young athletes to assist them over a year with furthering their sporting endeavours e.g. attending national and international competitions, national coaching camps etc. Three athletes were successful in receiving $2,000 each to assist them over the year - Riley-Jack Vette-Blomquist representing Squash (pictured), Daniel Meyer representing Para Athletics and Tarquala Whittaker-Stone representing Volleyball (also pictured).

Each of the athletes are achieving at a very high national level and representing New Zealand internationally in their chosen sports. Riley-Jack, Daniel and Tarquala are all part of their national sporting bodies development or elite training camps and in some cases are the age group national champion.

James Morris, Northland Sports Talent Development Panel member explains “these scholarships recognise the commitment and high level our local athletes have aspired to. My congratulations to the successful recipients as this targeted funding boost will certainly help their endeavours in reaching their sporting potential. We have loads of local sporting talent trying to achieve on shoestring budgets so it’s great to have the Kauri Club assisting.”

Kauri Club grants were also awarded to 15 other athletes. This funding will mainly assist the athletes to cover some of the many expenses incurred in travelling to events outside the region including several athletes heading overseas to represent New Zealand. Applications are assessed by the Northland Sports Talent Development Panel made up of representatives from the Far North, Kaipara and Whangarei Districts and Sport Northland.

These new grants and scholarships will now total $237,500 that has been allocated to talented Northland Sportspeople since the Kauri Club was formed in 2000.  The funding was received from the family of the late Garry Frew and the Brian Maunsell Memorial Trust fund and the grants are aimed to assist young talented up and coming athletes to help them achieve their sporting achievements and further their sporting pathway.

In addition to the October grants, $500 was awarded to each of the ASB Secondary School Sport winners – Courtney Williams (Whangarei Girls High School – Water skiing) and Riley-Jack Vette-Blomquist (Whangarei Boys High School – Squash).

October 2019 Kauri Club Recipients:

About Sport Northland

Sport Northland is Northland’s Regional Sports Trust – a charitable trust with a core purpose of ‘enriching lives through play, active recreation and sport’ and a vision of ‘All Northlanders leading better lives through involvement in play, active recreation and sport’.

Sport Northland also has a number of flagship programmes, events, facilities and activities under its umbrella - these include the national award winning region-wide Run/Walk Series, the national award winning Top Energy WaterSafe for Life programme and other successes such as Green Prescription, Active Workplaces, Energize, Secondary School events, He Oranga Poutama kaupapa as well as the work of our Community Connectors in a number of communities across the region.

Sport Northland also owns and operates both the ASB Leisure Centre (incorporating Kensington Fitness and the ASB Stadium) and the ASB Northland Sports House and owns (however contracts out the management of) the Whangarei Aquatic Centre.

For further information please contact:

Janine Moy

Sport System Lead

0274 303 085

janinem@sportnorth.co.nz