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:
TECT continue to invest in their community and we are lucky enough to have them align with our values of supporting talented young people.
These Tauranga youth are high performers in their chosen sport or performance field and without TECT we would not be able to give them the level of support they receive.
A huge thank you to @tectnz for their continued support! ... See MoreSee Less
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Welcome back to another special partnership for 2026. Callum and Lindy Malcolm love seeing great role models in their community. They have young kids so are inspired and excited about other young people doing awesome things!
Having people like this supporting Adastra and giving back to their communities is how young, talented youth get support and encouragement to keep striving. “We hope Laura achieves her goals this year” say the Malcolm’s.
We at Adastra thank you for your continued support and are excited to follow Laura in her season this year. ... See MoreSee Less
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Our continued partnership with Craig’s Investment Partners for 2026 is invaluable. Not only in our alignment of supporting and investing in talented young people in the community but in the knowledge they bring to our recipients.
Craig’s have years of experience and a real personal approach to helping you to manage your money. Reach out to see how they might be able to support your investment journey 💰 ... See MoreSee Less
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Announcing another scholarship recipient all thanks to our awesome partners Merito & Hill Family. These guys are excited to support another group of exciting young New Zealanders for 2026. Harlym embodies everything Adastra is about and they are excited to watch and support him through his journey this year.
We are so grateful for partners like this who are invested in the amazing young people we support and add value through partnership and mentoring 👏 ... See MoreSee Less
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Thrilled for one of our Adastra alumni Dani Aitchison - Paralympian.
Congratulations on your “year off” achievements!! 👏👏👏What a standout year for Danielle Aitchison — crowned ISPS Handa Para Athlete of the Year!Danielle dominated on the world stage, completing a stunning sprint double at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi by taking gold in both the T36 100m and T36 200m, smashing her own world record with a blistering 27.18s in the 200m. With grit, speed, and world‑class performances, she continues to elevate para athletics and inspire the next generation. An incredibly well‑deserved honour! ... See MoreSee Less
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BDO is a valued partner and great supporter of the Adastra Foundation. We are excited to announce Oliver Larsen as their recipient for 2026. BDO has values that put people at the centre of what they do and they are incredible in the mentoring space 💭
BDO Tauranga truly understands the local market and their exceptional team use this knowledge to constantly look for ways to add value to your business through improves systems and processes 📑 ... See MoreSee Less
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We are proud to announce the continuation of our partnership with Construction Advantage Limited. Based in Cambridge, Waikato these guys share our values. They build relationships and provide great support for their recipients. Congratulations to James and Piper for 2026.
From brief to build - their experienced team manage every aspect of construction. They value honesty, sustainability and innovation and love to work with good people to achieve standout builds 🛠️ ... See MoreSee Less
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We welcome back @acornfoundationnz for 2026 supporting young rowers in partnership with the Adastra Foundation 🚣🏼♀️
It is a pleasure to work with this foundation and the Bill & Dorris Eaddy scholarship to celebrate our shared kaupapa of supporting young athletes.
We are very grateful for their continued support and look forward to another great year. Congratulations to our 3 recipients 👏🏼 ... See MoreSee Less
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🔊We are proud to announce our 2026 scholarship recipients!
As we move through the year we will introduce you to each recipient in more detail. We are excited to support these talented young people this year through funding, connection, workshops and education.
A HUGE thank you to
🏀 The Lion Foundation
🎵 Grassroots Trust
🏐 TECT
🏸 Craig’s Investment Partners
⛳️ BDO Tauranga
🚣 Acorn Foundation
🩰 Construction Advantage Limited
🏃🏽 Merito & Hill Family
🎷Callum and Lindy Malcolm ... See MoreSee Less
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