THE ADASTRA FOUNDATION
Our vision is to provide opportunity for extraordinary young New Zealanders striving for excellence. Through funding and a strong focus on personal development and education, The Adastra Foundation Scholarship programme supports individuals to help them pursue their dreams and develop as leaders in their communities.
The Adastra Foundation has been providing scholarships to extraordinary young New Zealanders since 2007.
In that time, the Foundation has supported hundreds of athletes and performing artists with more than $2m and dozens of customised mentoring programmes.
In mid-2022, the Board completed a strategic review of its vision and purpose and agreed to refine its priorities. It wanted to ensure that it provided support where it was most needed and to those exceptional young people who might otherwise struggle to achieve their dreams. As such, consideration is also given to exceptional young people who face financial or personal hardship.
Adastra offers scholarships to extraordinary young athletes and performing artists (dancers, singer/songwriters and musicians), from Waikato and Bay of Plenty, who are seeking support in their pursuit of excellence. Our programme includes a cash scholarship and personal development workshops, specifically designed for young adults aiming to be the best they can be – on and off their stage. A key part of the Adastra ethos is the personal development programme guided by leading professionals in their field.
Adastra is grateful to be supported by Grassroots Trust, The Lion Foundation, TECT, The Brian Perry Charitable Trust, Craigs Investment Partners, The Acorn Foundation, Callum & Lindy Malcolm, the Merito & Hill Families, BDO Tauranga and Construction Advantage Limited.
Sponsored Scholarships
Adastra is delighted to offer sponsored scholarships where recipients are “tagged” with a sponsor.
We are excited to be able to offer Craigs Investment Partners scholarships. Craigs is one of New Zealand’s leading investment advisory firms. Their network of investment advisers are supported by an award winning research team to help clients achieve their investment goals. Achieving goals is important to the team at Craigs Investment Partners and they share that same passion for achieving investment goals with seeing young adults in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty communities achieve their life goals by pushing boundaries on the national and international stage.
We also offer sponsored scholarships with The Acorn Foundation, BDO, Construction Advantage, Callum & Lindy Malcolm and the Merito & Hill Family.
The Brian Perry Charitable Trust has been an integral cog in the Adastra wheel and has supported the programme since it’s inception.
The “Merito & Hill Family” scholarships are offered by Codi Merito, previous NZ representative BMX athlete and one of our Adastra alumni and Britt Hill. These scholarships are offered to 2 recipients who embody the values of Codi and Britt and show promise and drive in their endeavours.
Construction Advantage Limited is a Cambridge based construction company that delivers innovative construction projects, design and build, feasibility studies and management of commercial projects. The director and staff have a keen interest in sport and providing opportunity for a Cambridge recipient through their support of the Adastra programme.
BDO delivers leading accountancy, advisory, tax and assurance services to leading businesses and has offices nationwide. The Tauranga branch of BDO selects and supports a local recipient that aligns with the company values and brand.
Sponsored Scholarships are awarded after the standard application process (i.e. no further specific application is required).
The Sponsored Scholarships come with standard Adastra reporting requirements, plus further responsibilities to the sponsor, such as reasonable personal appearances and performance updates.
Sponsors
The Adastra Foundation acknowledges the support of:
Our Supporters
Our Sponsors
The Adastra Foundation acknowledges the support of:
Meet Elise, a talented dancer from Waikato. Starting at ballet when she was 3 years old, Elise has transitioned through multiple dance genres now including jazz, contemporary hip hop and lyrical. Using all of her experience and training she loves to choreograph her own solo performances sharing her stories helping her connect to the dance and express how she is feeling 🩰
In the next 5 years Elise is looking to get experience dancing overseas with international choreographers, celebrity artists and maybe even choreograph her own dance to perform in a show. With big dreams Elise is very passionate about dance, training a lot and getting great results! 💃
Dance isn’t without its challenges. A bit shift Elise had made is changing studios, facing the tough task of leaving friends and readjusting to a new space. This reignited her passion and has helped her grow as a dancer. All the best with your future endeavours Elise! Welcome to the Adastra whanau ☺️ ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet Tania! A very talented golfer from the Bay of Plenty. Since her dad introduced her to the sport she hasn’t put a club down since and it shows! She has represented BOP, won a district Strokeplay and met some incredible people through golf already⛳️
“Golf is not just for old people!” says Tania. “There’s a bit of a stereotype around golf but it’s such a competitive and exciting sport for all ages.” When she’s not on the golf course Tania loves being outdoors, hiking, heading to the beach and spending time with mates 🏝️
Tania has found Adastra to be incredible, helping her grow as an athlete and supporting financially. “I’m really grateful and excited to keep learning and developing with their help” she said. She applied because she had heard amazing things about the way Adastra supports young athletes both on and off the field.
One thing she would like her younger self to know is to not worry about what others think, stay true to yourself, back yourself and remember your worth. Her Dads discipline, patience and love for the game inspires her every day and he is a big reason why she’s out chasing her dreams!
We look forward to following you through your golf career Tania. Welcome to the Adastra whanau ☺️ ... See MoreSee Less
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Hannah Gapes smashing it in the US. We love following the progress of Adastra alumni 🙌 ... See MoreSee Less
'I've always loved competing': Rotorua athlete rises through US ranks
www.nzherald.co.nz
The former John Paul College student has spent three years at NC State University.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Meet Shyrah! A talented rising star in women’s rugby. From a decision to try 7s with her friends one summer, to representing Waikato for the Farah Palmer Cup in 2025, she’s had quite the journey so far 🏉
After hearing from some friends how Adastra had helped them she decided to apply in the hope of finding support on and off the field. From dealing with pressure, handling her finances and understanding how to fuel her body to be at its best Shyrah has found Adastra has helped a lot this year.
If she’s not on the rugby field she is hanging out with friends and family or doing fun activities. Shyrah had a tough injury last year but through that learnt how important support systems are to help overcome these challenges. All the best for the coming years Shyrah. Welcome to the Adastra whanau ☺️ ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet George! A rising star in club hockey. Starting young he took to hockey showcasing a natural talent for the sport 🏑
He applied for Adastra after reading up on the opportunities available and was looking for insight on how to be a better athlete and grow himself through his sport. After a stellar high school hockey career George is now finding his way through club hockey with great success!
Hanging out with friends in his spare time, George said he would have played indoor football if he hadn’t pursued hockey. Now at uni George is balancing a number of commitments while trying to stay injury free. He had learnt from the last few years how important it is to continue to stay fit and active in the off seasons 🏃🏽
Looking up to his late father George continues to work hard in hockey but is reminded by his dad of how important it is to be a really kind and caring person anyone can approach.
Welcome to the Adastra whanau George! ☺️ ... See MoreSee Less
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Adastra alumni going gangbusters at the Para Cycling Track World Championships. Congratulations everyone and to those who heard Siobhan Terry, Para Athlete speak at our July workshop, that Mindset and Courage has clearly paid off!
Overall a huge medal haul for the Kiwi’s 👏👏👏 🌈🥈🥉What a first day of racing in Rio for the Para Track Worlds!
We've compiled all the info of who's racing, what event they're racing and when for the next three days. As well as all info for watching live and keeping up with results:
www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/154411/2025-para-track-worlds--who-what-when/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet Hannah! An upcoming sprint kayaker from Whakatāne. Her first competition was way back at Aims Games and she’s been kayaking ever since. When Hannah is out on the water she makes it look easy but everyone should know… the boats are incredibly unstable and it takes a lot of practice to not tip out.
She has competed at the Junior World Championships and the Asia Pacific Cup with further goals of reaching the U23 World Championships. When she’s not training Hannah still loves being outdoors, going to the beach and camping 🏕️
As with most high performance sport there are various challenges, including injury. Hannah was out for 6 months with a concussion in 2023. Showing patience and trusting her healing process she came back better than ever! One piece of advice she would give her younger self is ‘to give everything a go as you never know where it will take you’.
Lisa Carrington carries the torch for young kayakers and is someone Hannah really looks up to. Her humility and generosity for the next generation of paddlers admiral. All the best for the coming years Hannah. Welcome to the Adastra whanau ☺️ ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet Van! A very talented football player from Tauranga. His love and commitment to his sport has shone through in the awesome things he’s achieved on the field. His selection into the NZ U16s team and winning the Oceania U16 tournament in Tahiti to name a few ⚽️
Van is striving high in the world’s most played sport with goals of making the All Whites and going to the Olympics. He would tell his younger self to ‘keep enjoying it and doing your best’, advice that has served him well to so far 💭
If he’s not on the football field he’s hanging out with friends and family and says that with Adastra’s support he’s has been able to get into the gym and work on strength - already noticing a big difference on the field this past season 🥅
A fan of watching and participating in most sports Van would have followed rugby if he hadn’t chosen football and looks up to Messi, his football idol! All the best with your goals Van, welcome to the Adastra whanau ☺️ ... See MoreSee Less
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Fantastic result Dani! 🙌⚡️ As fast as lightning, Danielle Aitchison has won GOLD in the 100m T36 in New Delhi!
Coming within 0.02s of her own PB, Danielle was in a class of her own at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships!
Congratulations, Danielle!
📸 @mtsportsphoto
#athleticsnz #paraathletics ... See MoreSee Less
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