About Our Team
Our vision is success for extraordinary young New Zealanders on the national and international stage.
The Adastra Foundation was established in 2007 to provide financial and mentoring support to extraordinary young New Zealanders in their pursuit of excellence.
To date, the Adastra Foundation has awarded 894 scholarships totaling $2,420,500.
Trustees

Graeme Maw - Chair
After an enthusiastic but innocuous career in junior soccer, badminton and rugby union, Graeme has accrued over 20 years’ experience leading international sports programmes, and developing successful athlete and coach pathways.
These include stints with Queensland Swimming, British and NZ Triathlon, Welsh Rugby Union, UK coaching and Millfield School in England.
Graeme has the distinction of having represented three different nations in support at summer Olympic Games, and been Chef de Mission for Great Britain at the World University Games.
When not supporting others, Graeme can be found riding various bicycles, hiking up or skiing down mountains, or exasperating his family and livestock on their Waikato lifestyle block at Tamahere.

Amigene Metcalfe
Amigene was a member of the Silver Ferns netball squad between 2000-2004 and captain of the Waikato/BOP Magic netball team between 1999-2008.
She previously represented New Zealand in the NZ Women’s touch team and was captain between 1999-2003, for three World Cups.
She also represented New Zealand in athletics at the 1984 and 1988 Pan Pacific Games.
Amigene is employed by Sport Waikato as the Sport Development Manager, a role that supports the delivery of sport to young people aged between 12 and 18 years old.
Previously she has been a PE & Health teacher and coached the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Netball team. Amigene has a passion for working with young people and athletes.
She is married with three children and living in Cambridge – the Town of Champions.

Kevin Burgess
Kevin Burgess has been a community pharmacist in Cambridge since 1981 and had a long and active involvement within the Cambridge community, serving on both sporting and community organisations, including past chair of the Adastra Foundation.
He has been involved in sports administration since the mid-1980s and became a life member of Hautapu Rugby Club in 2012.
Kevin has been a judge at the Waipa and Waikato secondary Sports Awards for 15 years and is a passionate supporter of rugby, rowing, netball, cricket and lately, cycling.
He has also mentored/sponsored numerous athletes over the years.
A joint founder of Perago Trust for promising athletes in Cambridge, Kevin is also a partner of Inside Running, a sports management company.

Jennifer Palmer
After six years as National Grants Manager for the Perry Foundation, Jennifer became the General Manager of the Brian Perry Charitable Trust in 2010.
In this role she has overseen the development of the Te Awa River Ride – a cycleway alongside the Waikato River – and played a key role in the development of the Home of Cycling’s Avantidrome.
She also managed the development of Podium Lodge, a Cambridge facility aimed at supporting the sports and recreation market.
Jennifer is also a trustee of Sport Waikato, the Home of Cycling Charitable Trust and a former trustee of the Skycity Hamilton Community Trust and the Waikato Institute of Leisure and Sports Studies.
Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Jennifer is married to Craig and together they have twin daughters.

Alison Wieringa
Alison, born and raised on a family farm in Walton, has played, coached, and mentored NZ netballers finest.
Coach of New Zealand A, Magic, Northern Force, provincial and age group teams, following a playing career that saw her reach the top level, she has a passion for helping young people strive to achieve. Add in her experience leading Welsh Netball as their National Performance Director, Netball NZ selector, mentoring for Tania Dalton Foundation and judge on the BOP Sports awards panel for 10 years, and she brings a huge range of experience to the Trust.
Having worked in health and sports management roles, she’s well practiced in managing teams, developing leaders, and looking at opportunities for growth.
Music has been part of her life and this role provides the chance to engage in the performing arts arena alongside the sporting scene.
New challenges for Alison see her managing the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, enjoying playing golf alongside her husband, and keeping a track on their two children who live in Sydney and Wanaka.

Mark Hollands
Mark has 25 years’ experience in leadership, management and the provision of high performance, health and wellbeing services.
After studying Degrees in Science (Physiology), Physical Education (Kinesiology), and Physiotherapy (Credit) at Otago University, he went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine and Post Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation.
Mark is the company director of Active Health, based in Christchurch.
With 50+ staff, he led a successful business recovery changing the strategic direction of Active Health, following the Christchurch earthquake, while delivering on-going, profitable results.
His passion for people, sport and health has seen him work with Cycling New Zealand and High-Performance Sport New Zealand in numerous roles.
As part of the Cycling New Zealand Performance Impact Team, Mark travelled to Sydney, Beijing, London and Rio Olympic Games as physiotherapist, playing his part in three silver and four bronze medals.
Mark is a father to three beautiful girls and lives with this wife, Michelle, in Cambridge.

David Sidwell
David is heavily involved in music education throughout NZ at both secondary and tertiary levels, currently managing the Department of Music & Performing Arts and postgraduate studies in the School of Media Arts at Wintec. He holds a Masters Degree in Arts Management from Central Queensland University and is currently completing a PhD.
David’s involvement in music, education and theatre as director, musical director, composer, orchestrator/arranger and pianist include many successful productions in NZ and Australia; The Rocky Horror Show, Cats, Les Misérables, Oliver starring Richard O’Brien as Fagin, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, Evita, Starlight Express, Mary Poppins, Miss Saigon, Sister Act, Bonnie & Clyde, We Will Rock You, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Chicago.
As an accomplished pianist, David has worked with numerous New Zealand singers, performers, recording artists and featured as the pianist for the New Zealand Film Archive touring road shows.
David has been awarded an honorary institutional medal from Wintec for his forty-year contribution to the arts, as well as a Merit Award from Musical Theatre New Zealand. In 2014 he was honoured with the prestigious ‘Freedom of the City’ award, an accolade bestowed by Hamilton City recognizing David’s services to the arts and culture in the city over the past thirty-five years.
Advisors

Mike Chunn
Mike Chunn is CEO of the Play It Strange Trust which implements music programmes – songwriting, recording and stage performance – across New Zealand schools.
After graduating Bachelor of Engineering – Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (Auckland University), he started out on his professional musical career as bassist with Split Enz and Citizen Band between 1972 and 1980.
Then he ran Mushroom Records and Sony Music Publishing from 1981 through to 1991.
From 1992 to 2003 he was Director of New Zealand Operations for the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).
Mike was appointed CEO of Play It Strange in November 2003.
Don't Be Shy. Get In Touch.
If you are interested in working together, send us an inquiry and we will get back to you as soon as we can!
Fantastic Louie. Following in the steps of greatness!Congratulations to Yr 13 student Louie Endres who won the Sir John Walker Trophy at the WAIBOP Secondary Schools Championships when he took out the Senior Boys 1500m.
The Sir John Walker Trophy has been awarded since 1977 and has never been won by a Hillcrest athlete in that time. The spikes in the trophy are the actual pair Sir John Walker used when he broke the World Mile record.
Well done also to Annie Downing who won the Junior girls 1500m and 3000m races, Taylor Murdoch who was 3rd in Junior Girls 200m and 4th in the 100m and High Jump and Sahil Phour who was 2nd in the 2000m Steeplechase.
#athletics #hillcrest #worldmile #JohnWalker ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Congratulations Logan Ferguson on your world championship selection!!
👏Awesome ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
bit.ly/nzsscanoepolo
Woohoo Megan Williams BMX, National Champion!!
Congratulations🥇
… and a bunch of Adastra alumni on the podium too. Well done everyone👏👏👏 ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Massive thank you to Craigs Investment Partners for granting me a scholarship this year through The Adastra Foundation, who have also sponsored me this year.
These organisations are what make international competitions possible for athletes like me, and they are much appreciated!
Thanks!!
#SportsScholarship #speedclimbing #trainhard ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Look out for 2023 Afastra recipient, Louie Endres, racing tonight in the 1500m at 6:50.
Livestream link here:
www.youtube.com/live/XM73xULnYwA?feature=shareSir Graeme Douglas International presented by Harcourts Cooper & Co is only a few hours away.
Find all information below 👇
📆Thursday 16 March from 5pm
Entry list: bit.ly/3ZClnKy
Timetable: bit.ly/41XGcBy
Results: bit.ly/3yq5Wcs
Tickets: bit.ly/3T0qdhW
🎥 Watch live via Athletics New Zealand YouTube Channel bit.ly/3ZFxeXZ
The Hits - Aotearoa Pub Charity Limited Go Media Athletics Auckland Oceania Athletics Harcourts Cooper & Co Real Estate One Foundation Limited TAB The Trusts
#athletics #athleticsnz #SGDI2023 #trackandfield #continentaltour #auckland ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Go Deb! ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Nikita Coleman’s weekend win in the Marra Super Sprint Triathlon at the Mount earned her selection on the Triathlon NZ Team travelling to Spain in September this year for the World Championship Final.
Also wicked to see Adastra Alumni, Deb Fuller winning the Open Women Sprint tri “dusting off the cobwebs” as she puts it! @deborahjoyfuller
Congratulations both of you!!👏👏 ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
ANNOUNCING our Craigs Investment Partners supplementary scholarships for 2023.
Craigs Investment Partners support The Adastra Foundation with funding for scholarships across all of our recipients and also in providing 3 individuals with extra support.
Xavier (Hamilton), Abby (Tauranga), and Rohm (Rotorua) represent each of the three Craigs offices in our region and will benefit from the funding and also an opportunity to connect with Craigs advisors on their personal journey.
Our partnership with Craigs Investment Partners continues to provide benefit for our young people in their performance journey, supporting their performance and learning skills that will help shape their futures.
A massive thank you for your support!!!
Craigs Investment Partners ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
ANNOUNCING a new partnership and supplementary scholarship for 2023.
The MERITO & HILL FAMILY scholarship has been awarded by Codi Merito and Brittney Hill to 2 returnee Adastra recipients.
Codi was an Adastra recipient in 2016 and is now supporting selected individuals on their own journeys.
In their words, Britt and Codi love to see people who are passionate in their field and even more so, the environment created when you have a room full of people who are striving to be better, each and every day.
The Adastra Foundation is incredibly grateful for their support and we congratulate Megan and Quinn for their selection👏👏 ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Brilliant
Very cool thanks guys!!
How awesome!
Outstanding Codi and Britt👏