HUTT CITY COUNCIL MEDIA ADVISORY

10 July 2018

Golf fundraiser helps address inequality for Lower Hutt kids

An annual charity golf tournament has helped fund more than 25,000 life-changing opportunities and experiences for hundreds of Lower Hutt children in the past two years. The Naylor Love Hutt City Charity Golf Tournament is the major annual fundraiser for the TAKA (Te Awa Kairangi Access ) Trust, which aims to address inequality by offering a range of opportunities to pupils from schools in the north eastern suburbs of Lower Hutt. Naylor Love will be the main sponsor of the tournament for the next three years.

The TAKA Trust’s latest initiative is the TAKA WIFI project, which will ensure that all children in Lower Hutt’s north east suburbs have free access to digital devices and wifi in their homes.

In September 2018, thanks to support from Chorus, Network4Learning and the Ministry of Education, 124 children from Rata Street School will receive free wifi access to their school’s secure managed internet network at home. The scheme will be evaluated in 2019, with further roll-out planned, subject to school and community readiness.

Proceeds from the 2016 and 2017 tournaments enabled the Trust to provide 25,000 experiences including providing free buses for children for trips to Te Papa, Parliament and Hurricanes’ games at the Westpac Stadium, to name a few. In May (2018) more than 1000 children and their families attended a free Orchestra Wellington concert at Taita’s Walter Nash Stadium. Many of these experiences were firsts for the children and their families.

TAKA Trust Chairman, Matt Reid says the Trust aims to build a community of engaged, active and healthy young people who are motivated to strive towards brighter futures. “It’s all about addressing inequality and empowering the tamariki who need us the most. The work of the Trust helps to level the playing field and ensure the fantastic children of Lower Hutt can all benefit from a range of experiences and learning opportunities to fulfil their potential and enhance their achievement and aspirations,” he says.

The charity golf tournament was started in 2012 by a voluntary committee of Hutt City Council staff members and is supported by local businesses and corporate sponsors.

This year’s event will be held at the Shandon Golf Club, Petone on Saturday November 30, 2018 and organisers are seeking further sponsorship and support to help them help the TAKA Trust achieve its vision.

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