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 over 1000 scholarships and totalling over $2,000,000.
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.
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.
Jenna Keane
Jenna was born and raised in Central Otago but has been in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region for the past 7 years. After 4 years in the event industry as the Secondary School Tough Guy & Gal Challenge she transitioned to roles in both Women and Girls and Youth Engagement at Sport Waikato.
A new opportunity now sees Jenna employed by the NZ Police as the Waikato Physical Education Officer, continuing her passion of both physical activity and community work.
Understanding some of the pressures and expectations youth face in the ever-evolving world of social media and their online image, puts her in a good place to support our youth as they pursue their passions.
Physical activity and sport is an important part of her lifestyle and she continues to play social sport and do CrossFit. Although not musically trained herself, some of her family have followed this pathway and Jenna is excited to be more engaged in the music and arts scene.
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.
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.
Honey Hireme-Smiler
Honey Hireme-Smiler, Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Haua, Ngati Whakaue. Honey is a dual rugby league / rugby union international who has been an exceptional flag bearer for New Zealand women’s rugby and rugby league.
As a former Black Fern and Kiwi Fern, she brings a career spanning 18 years at international level. Her commitment, passion and dedication to her sports saw her appointed as a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for Services to Sport.
Honey has 10 years experience working within the health and disability sector previously as a community programme manager, and a senior disability sport advisor with the Halberg Foundation. She currently works as a Sky Sport presenter/commentator and has recently been appointed the role of cultural advisor at Hospice Waikato. Honey continues to give back via coaching, mentoring, governance and various ambassador roles, ranging from school and community to representative and international level. Her values for family are strong; she believes that sport has the power to bring people together and create strong foundations for families, teams and communities to grow.
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!
Sponsors
The Adastra Foundation acknowledges the support of:
Our Supporters
Meet @georgewyllie_ Born in Bath, England, and raised in Tauranga, George is currently a student at Tauranga Boys’ College. When he isn’t training at the track, you can find him in the ocean catching some waves!
George has some epic goals fueled by his love of pure competition, and his achievements reflect that. He won the U18 3km Oceania Championship, the U20 5km National Championship, and he made the World U20 1500m standard time!
George said, “I want to be the best, which means chasing NZ records but to always remember to keep on grinding, even when the results don’t go your way”. A massive inspiration to him is two-time NZ Olympic 1500m runner @samueltanner_ . George said, “He inspires me the most; I don’t think I’ve ever met a more positive dude.” He would like to follow in Sam’s footsteps and one day aspire to travel the world and compete as a pro runner for Aotearoa!
George added, “I applied for the scholarship as I saw it as an opportunity to help grow as an athlete on and off the track, with the help provided.”
Our recipients wouldn’t have these opportunities without the support of funders, so a massive thank you to you all, especially the incredible team at @tectnz ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet @ben_pilbrow born and raised in the mighty BOP where he attended Tauranga Boys College! Ben is currently working on completing his second year as a building apprentice and continues to train after work!!
Ben said “ I applied for the Adastra scholarship as I felt that it was an awesome opportunity for me to grow as a person outside of just kayaking, and a way to become a better all round athlete and person which is super important to me”
Bens goals that are a driving force for himself is to make the Under 23’s New Zealand Canoe Slalom team next year and go to the World Champs in France! He is also heading to Europe midway through next year for 6 months to compete in the European circuit!
One of Ben’s biggest inspirations is his coach Nico Baudoin! Ben said “He is a very hard working and knowledgeable guy who has continually pushed me to reach my full potential as an athlete. His dedication to coaching and the sport has been very inspirational for me and he is always looking for ways to help me improve”. Just like Nico, we love offering epic opportunities for all our recipients and can’t do it without the support from our funders, especially @tectnz and Craigs Investment Partners! Craigs Investment Partners ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet @netanasamia Born and raised in the beautiful Hawkes Bay, Napier. He now attends Tauranga Boys College and is Training/Playing with the Western Bay of Plenty Phoenix Club Men’s Team! A special place that holds immense significance for Tana is the Napier Boys High School gymnasium. It’s where many cherished memories were created alongside his late father, making it a source of inspiration and comfort.
Tana captained the Tauranga Boys College to victory at the School Nationals, where he also earned the tournament’s MVP award and most recently, being selected for the Volley Blacks Training Squad! These achievements have helped Tana to stay focused and motivated on his goals to one day have the opportunity to play Volleyball overseas in college or professionally!
Looking ahead, Tana envisions a future in coaching, refereeing, or managing—essentially anything that will keep him connected to the volleyball community.
Tana said “I applied to Adastra to help fund my sporting endeavours, It has helped alleviate financial burdens, as well as relieved stress from my mum who has been taking care of me alone for the past three years”. A massive thank you goes out to @tectnz and all our funders for their continuous support in our recipients journeys! ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet @taine_larsen !! Born and raised in Tauranga where he attended Tauranga Boys College and is currently studying BCom- Finance & Economics in Christchurch whilst also continuing his passion for a multitude of different genres of music!! Taine froths spinning the decks and mixing beats to progressive house music and also dabbles in writing and producing his own songs which you can listen to on his page @taine_music @scar_n.z
Taine has a multitude of talents and achievements which align perfectly with his core values of Resilience, Integrity and Passion! These values have helped Taine to maintaining excellent grades, become head Prefect and gained NZ rep honours at the NZ youth symphonic winds! When he’s not writing or producing music you can find him riding in the forest as he said “There’s something freeing and creative about it”
Taine has some exciting goals in the works which includes releasing progressive house music, challenging himself with plans to race multisport in the coming years, as well as working on a media & Youth Development Project! We can’t wait to see what he can do. A quote that Taine does his best to live by is “Consistency is key, and failure is a lesson that brings you closer to success”.
Taine has said “I’m immensely grateful for the support that both @tectnz and Adastra Foundation continues to provide me.
- This year the funding allowed me to attend the workshop in Mt Maunganui where I took away some very valuable learnings
- Allowed me to purchase Logic Pro Studio software to record my music at an industry-standard level.
- Pursue a new media project with a vision to empower the next generation and foster growth in youth and young adults.
It’s great to see exactly how our support has allowed our recipients to learn, grow and thrive within their chosen talents! As always a massive thank you to Tect and all our supporters! ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet @jade_fairley_ !Born in Taupō, she grew up on a farm in Reporoa where she attended Reporoa College from Year 7 to 11 and then moved to Rotorua Girls’ High for her final two years of high school. A special place that fills her cup would be anywhere her whānau is, and that’s usually at home.
Jade has some incredible achievements that she’s very proud of, including coaching her U13 Rotorua B team last year and winning their final! Jade has also been a part of the New Zealand School Sport Commission, where she served as deputy chair, was involved with emerging leaders for BBNZ, and was a member of the Rotorua Labour Rangatahi Advisory Council. When Jade was 10, she wanted to be a Silver Fern. Her goals now are to earn a university degree and continue advancing within Basketball New Zealand, whether that involves coaching, refereeing, or mentoring.
Jade applied for our scholarship to gain better opportunities to fund her sports, meet new people, and access different outreach and support groups outside of her sport. She said, “I have loved the support that the foundation has given me! I know that I don’t have to worry about financing my next tournament and can focus on upskilling and development. I am ever so grateful, and I don’t think I would’ve achieved half of the things I have without the help and support the foundation offers. I have recommended many others for the scholarship, as I believe they would benefit from it.”
Jade would like to thank her coaches Sue and Darell Pene, all her mentors, and a huge thanks to her whānau who have grounded, supported, and comforted her! As always, a massive thank you to our friends at @tectnz and @codimerito for their support! ... See MoreSee Less
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2025 Scholarship application will CLOSE on Sunday 8th September at 11:59pm!!!!
Don’t leave it too late to apply!!
Open to young talented sportspeople, dancers, singers and musicians from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.
See the full criteria and application details on our website:
www.adastra.org.nz ... See MoreSee Less
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Julian Dean is holding an introduction to Meditation course in Tauranga.
Julian has been a presenter at our Adastra workshops and as well as being vastly experienced in the high performance environment, embraces and teaches the quiet and peacefulness of meditation.
Get in touch with Julian directly if you are interested in joining the course. ... See MoreSee Less
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This is the LAST WEEK to apply for 2025 ADASTRA FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS!!!
Applications close on Sunday 8th September.
Are you eligible, or do you know someone who is eligible, and would benefit from financial and personal development support for their sport or performance endeavour???
If so, share this and get them to apply for an Adastra Scholarship.
Open to talented, young people from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, who have identified financial need.
Check the eligibility criteria on our website and apply online.
www.adastra.org.nz ... See MoreSee Less
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Meet @matt.ruetsch ! Born and raised in Einsiedeln, Switzerland and made the move to Aotearoa when he was 13! Matt attended St Paul’s in Hamilton and is currently studying at the University of Waikato! A special place that fills Matt’s cup is Queenstown; he says the mountains and scenery are very similar to where he grew up in Switzerland, which makes it feel like home. Matt upholds strong values such as honesty, fairness, and teamwork on a daily basis.
Matt has had some remarkable achievements in his career that we’d like to highlight. In 2022, his team placed 3rd at the National Rankin Cup. He has also demonstrated academic excellence at the University of Waikato and was selected for the future Black Sticks squad. He hopes that this success will continue and is striving to play in the Junior World Cup in India next year and eventually move across the globe to play in the NHL (ice hockey). After his hockey career, he plans to use his degree to work as a software engineer or in the cybersecurity sector.
Matt said, “I am loving the support from the Adastra Foundation and would 100% recommend it to others, not only for the financial support but also for the other opportunities offered in the workshops that help support my career.”
As always, a massive thank you to all our funders who have supported our recipients!
📸 @kimwiharepics ... See MoreSee Less
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